Christmas at the Tower
by Rogue Rover
Summary: J and Ice Blaze invite the Rovers and Dylan over to the Tower for Christmas. I made some changes to the story. A couple of chapters have some additions made. Comments and Suggestions are welcome.
1. Getting Things Ready

Christmas at the Tower

A/N: I don't own Road Rovers; they're owned by Warner Bros. Dylan is owned by Dylan Rinald. I do own my characters that are featured in this story. I don't own _How the Grinch Stole Christmas_. The songs that are featured in the story are copyrighted to their owners. I hope you enjoy the story. All movies are copyrighted to their respected companies. Whammy! is owned by Fremantle Media. This isn't in conjunction with CBS or GSN. Please leave comments and suggestions. That'll help make these stories better in the future. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Chapter 1: Getting Things Ready

"So, how many are comin'?" asked a female African American teenager as she sat down on the curved couch next to a teenaged white tiger felosapien. She wore a blue sweater and blue jeans.

"Let's see," said the white tiger who wore a grey hoodie and jeans. He held up his right hand. "There's Hunter, Colleen, Exile, Shag, Muzzle, Dylan, n' tha' sick egotistical puppy, Blitz." He counted his fingers on both his hands. "Tha's seven guests."

"Okay," said the girl. "Well, we have enough rooms for 'em."

"Well, we'll have to worry 'bout six of 'em," the white tiger said.

"Why is tha' Blaze?" asked the girl as she looked the felosapien.

"Muzzle isn't a canosapien. He's a regular dog," Ice Blaze said.

"But he's a lil' off his nut," added another voice. The voice belonged to a male teenaged shiba inu canosapien. The shiba inu had a rugged appearance with brown fur throughout his body with light brown fur around the muzzle and lower part of the tail. He wore an orange long sleeve shirt and jeans. He entered the room with a box of garland. He placed the box in the corner of the living room with the other boxes that contained Christmas decorations. He then added, "But don't worry, once he gets to know you, he'll act like a regular dog."

"Okay, so we'll need six rooms then," said the girl. She then turned her attention to the canosapien. "Is tha' all of the boxes J?"

J shook his head and looked the girl. "No, there is more to bring down." He turned his attention to the white tiger. "Hey Blaze, can you help me out wit' some of this stuff?"

The white tiger got up from his spot on the couch and walked over to the shiba inu.

"Sure thing bro," Ice Blaze said. "So wha' else needs to be brought down?"

"Well," J said as he looked at the boxes. "I brought down the candles, garland, wreathes, n' some of the lights."

"So tha' means tha' there is still the tree, the tree ornaments, the village, the nativity scene, stockings, our personal trees, n' the rest of the lights," said the girl.

"Yeah, I think tha's all tha's left," said J.

"Let me help you two as well."

"Thanks Melanie," J said.

"Yeah, thanks sis," Ice Blaze added.

"You're welcome," Melanie said.

The three siblings went down the hallway and up the stairs to the second floor of the apartment complex that resided within a theme park attraction. Once they reached the second floor, they headed down the second floor hallway and entered the attic that was located at the end of the hallway. Inside the attic were numerous boxes that were scattered throughout the big room. J, Melanie, and Ice Blaze walked over to the left side of the attic, where all the Christmas decorations were located at.

Ice Blaze moved over to two big purple storage containers. He opened the top of one of the containers and peeked inside to check its contents. Inside the container were pieces of an artificial evergreen tree. He closed the first container and slowly dragged it toward Melanie and J.

"Here's the first half of the tree," Ice Blaze said. He turned around to retrieve the second container. He went back to where the second container was at. He stopped and scratched his head with his right hand. "Uh oh."

"Did you jus' say 'Uh oh' Blaze?" asked J. "I don't like uh oh."

"Wha's wrong Blaze?" Melanie asked as she and J headed to where the white tiger was standing.

"There's a lot of boxes on top of the second containe'," Ice Blaze said as he pointed to the problematic boxes that were on top of the container. "If I move it, everything else on top of it would drop like the Dow Jones in a recession."

"Uh…Blaze, all we have to do is jus' move those boxes," Melanie said to the white tiger as she walked over to the pile of boxes and picked one up. She placed the box on the floor in the vacant space where the first container sat.

J and Ice Blaze followed suit, and the three stacked the boxes on top of each other, making a miniature pyramid. After all the boxes had been moved, Ice Blaze was able to move the second large container. J moved to the back of the first container, and Melanie moved to the front of the first container. Melanie pulled the container, while J pushed it; they dragged the container out of the attic, and Ice Blaze followed suit, with the second container. They dragged the two containers down the second floor hallway. Once they got to the stairs, J and Melanie let the first container slide slowly down the stairs to the first floor. Ice Blaze did the same with the second container. After both containers were on the first floor, they dragged the containers into the living room. They then moved the big containers toward the rest of the Christmas decorations in the living room. They went back upstairs and brought down the remaining decorations that were in the boxes of the miniature pyramid.

Once all the boxes have been set in the living room, the three teenagers sat down on the couch. J tilted his head back on the back of the couch, closed his eyes, and let out a sigh.

"Did they say when they're supposed to be here?" asked Melanie as she looked at her two brothers.

"Well, Hunter said tha' they would be arrivin' tomorrow," Ice Blaze said as he recalled the conversation that he and J had with Hunter before they returned back to the Tower.

"Should we start setting' up some of these decorations now or late'?" asked J as he cracked his left eye open to look at his sister.

"Why don't we do it tomorrow?" she suggested.

"Fine by me," J said as he got up and went into the kitchen. "I was gettin' tired." He walked over to the cupboard and grabbed a glass out of the cupboard. He headed to the fridge and retrieved the carton of eggnog. He poured himself a glass. "Do y'all want any eggnog?"

"I'll have a glass," Melanie said.

"Same here," Ice Blaze added.

J nodded his head and grabbed two more glasses from the cabinet, and he poured eggnog into the two glasses. He picked up the two glasses and went back into the living room, and he gave the glasses to Melanie and Ice Blaze. J went back into the kitchen to get his glass and joined them. He sat back down in between Melanie and Ice Blaze.

Ice Blaze turned his head towards the window and looked outside. He watched the snow fall gracefully from the sky. He got up from his seat and walked over to the window, and he sat on the window sill and continued to watch the snowfall in fascination. His breath began to fog up the window, and the white tiger wiped the fog away with the sleeve of his hoodie.

"Man, this snow is beautiful," Ice Blaze said as he continued to watch the snow fall with admiration.

Melanie and J got up from their seats and moved toward the window to watch the snow with their adopted brother. They each sat on the window sill next to the big cat. All three of them watched the snow fall and sipped their eggnog.


	2. Guests Arrive

Chapter 2: Guests Arrive

The next day, J and Ice Blaze were sitting on the living room floor, untangling and checking the Christmas lights that were going to be hung outside. They already unraveled three strands of lights. Ice Blaze pulled a big wad of lights out of the box.

"Uh J, I'm goin' to need your help wit' this," Ice Blaze said as showed his brother the ball of lights.

J nodded his head and crawled over to Ice Blaze so that he can help his brother with the lights. Ice Blaze started on the right side of the ball, and J started on the left side of the ball. They began to carefully pull at different strands of the lights. As they were pulling, some of the lights started to wrap around J and Ice Blaze's arms.

"Blaze, wait," J said.

"Huh?"

J pointed to the tangled mess that was forming on their arms. Ice Blaze nodded his head in understanding the situation. Ice Blaze attempted to untangle himself by removing the strands that were on his right arm. Once he did that, he moved the untangled strand behind him by placing it over his shoulder. Then he began on his left arm. As he was working on the strand on his left arm, the strand that he already untangled started to tangle itself again, but this time it was tangling around the tiger's body.

Outside the Tower, a red vehicle that is shaped like a dog approached the building from the driveway. The vehicle came to a stop in front of the building. Four doors opened, and seven figures came out of the vehicle. The driver of the vehicle was a male golden retriever canosapien. He wore a green turtleneck sweater, which is covered by a thick black coat, brown pants, and black boots. Standing next to the golden retriever was a female border collie with brown and white fur. She had shoulder length hair and wore a white sweater, blue jeans, and white boots. A teenaged male German Shepherd, Doberman, and Golden Retriever mix with light brown fur with patches of dark brown throughout his body. His left ear had a chunk taken out. His tail is long and fluffy, and his hair is fluffy too. He wore a blue and red football jersey with the number one on it, which was covered by a brown coat, blue jeans, sneakers, and a red and blue head band to keep his hair out of his face. A large white sheepdog was standing next to the teenager. A male husky with blue and white stood next to the sheepdog. He wore a blue sweater, jeans, and black boots. He was also holding a dolly that held a Rottweiler in a straightjacket and muzzle. The final member was a male doberman that is wearing the same thing as the golden retriever.

"Mother Russia," the husky said in a thick Russian accent as he stared in amazement at the run down hotel. "This place is big."

"I know Exile," said the golden retriever as he craned his neck. "It looked smaller when we were in the Turbojet Rover earlier this year."

"You have to be kidding me," the doberman said in disbelief. "This place is not fit for a stud like me."

"It's only theming Blitz," said the teen.

"Nobody asked you mutt," replied the doberman.

The sheepdog mumbled something to the golden retriever.

"Don't worry Shag; it's safe. You heard Dylan. It's just theming," the golden retriever assured the large sheepdog.

"Dylan?" asked the collie as she looked at the teenaged mutt.

"Yes Colleen," Dylan replied as he headed toward Colleen's position, which was near the glass doors that lead to the inside of the Tower.

"Where's the doorbell?"

Dylan pointed to the intercom. "That's the doorbell." He rang the doorbell button on the intercom.

In the living room, J and Ice Blaze were now tangled in the lights. The sound of the doorbell resonated throughout the apartment complex.

"Melanie!" they cried to their sister who was in the kitchen. "Can you answe' it?"

Melanie walked out of the kitchen and looked at her two brothers that were tangled in Christmas lights. She shook her head and headed to the intercom. She pushed a button and spoke into the microphone.

"Hello?" she asked.

Back outside with the group, Dylan pushed the button on the intercom to reply.

"Hey Melanie, it's me Dylan."

"Oh hi Dylan, it's been a while. How're you?"

"I'm fine. How are J and Ice Blaze?"

Back in the Tower, Melanie turned her head to look at her two brothers again. She then turned her attention back to the intercom. "They're tied up at the moment."

"Oh look who's tryin' to be funny now," J called from the tangled mess.

Dylan chuckled and shook his head. Blitz walked up and pushed Dylan out of the way. He pushed the button the intercom.

"Hurry up and open the door. The cold is making my tooshie tighten up," he said.

"Who are you?" asked Melanie.

"My name is Blitz."

"Oh, so you're the sick egotistical puppy tha' my brothe' mentioned."

Everyone, with the exception of Blitz, laughed at the description.

"I'll be down in a moment," Melanie said. She turned around and looked at J and Ice Blaze. "I'll be right back. I'm goin' to open the door for 'em."

"Take your time sis," Ice Blaze said from the tangled mess. "We won't be goin' anywhere anytime soon."

Melanie went to her room, put on some shoes, and a coat. She left her room and went back into the living room. In the living room, J and Ice Blaze were still trying to untangle themselves from the mess they got themselves into.

"Oh wha' a mess you two weaved," she said as she pressed the down button on the elevator.

"Very cute sis. Very cute," J mumbled.

The elevator doors opened, and she entered in and pushed the first floor button. The doors closed, and it descended down to the first floor. The doors opened, and Melanie stepped out into the hallway. She walked down the hallway until she came to the glass doors. She approached the doors and unlocked them. She stepped out into the snow.

"Hi Dylan," she greeted the mutt with a hug.

Dylan returned the hug. "Hey Melanie."

"Welcome to our home. Like I said earlie', J n' Blaze are havin' some bondin' time."

"Can we please go inside now?" whined Blitz as he shivered.

"We will," said the golden retriever. "But first, we have to get our bags out of the Street Rover."

The Rovers went back to the Street Rover and gathered their belongings. Once everyone gathered their luggage, the husky closed the trunk of the Street Rover. They followed Melanie into the Tower. The group headed for the elevator at the end of the hallway. Melanie pushed the up button, and everyone entered when the elevator doors opened. Once everyone was in, she pushed the apartment button. The doors closed, and the elevator began its ascent. While the elevator was ascending, Colleen tapped on Melanie's shoulder. Melanie turned around to look at Colleen.

"I'm sorry, but we 'aven't introduced ourselves. I'm Colleen," Colleen said.

"I'm Hunter," said the golden retriever as he pointed to the Rottweiler. "That's my buddy, Muzzle."

"My name is Exile," said the Husky.

"I'm Blitz," Blitz said as he jabbed a thumb at his chest. "I'm the best Rover there is."

"You're the weirdest Rover there is," Exile said.

"You want a piece of me Frosty?" Blitz challenged the husky.

"Sorry comrade, but there is no contestski for weirdest weird boy in the world," Exile replied.

Shag then mumbled something so that the argument doesn't blow out of proportion.

"Wha' did he say?" Melanie asked with a confused look on her face.

"'e said 'is name is Shag, and that 'e is pleased to meet you," Colleen translated for the large sheepdog.

"Nice to meet you Shag," Melanie said. "N' y'all already kno' tha' my name is Melanie. I'm J n' Ice Blaze's siste'."

The doors to the elevator opened, and everyone stepped out. The Rovers placed their bags on the living room floor next to the couch. J and Ice Blaze came out of the kitchen with bottles of water and were finally out of the tangled mess.

"How was the bonding?" Dylan joked to the two brothers.

"Oh swell," J replied sarcastically. "There's nothin' like spending' quality time wit' your brothe', while bein' constricted by Christmas lights."

Everyone laughed at J's witty response. Dylan scanned the area of the apartment.

"Hey, where's everyone else?"

"They went home to spend time wit' their families," Ice Blaze replied as he walked over to the couch. "Here lemme help y'all wit' the luggage."

"Me too," J said as he followed the white tiger. "We'll show y'all to your rooms, n' y'all can let Muzzle loose if you want."

"You don't have to do that you two," Colleen said.

"You're our guests," Melanie said. "We don't mind."

J and Ice Blaze nodded their heads in agreement as they picked up some of the luggage carried them down the hallway. The Rovers followed the two teenaged anisapiens down the hallway and up the stairs to the second floor. About halfway down the hall, J and Ice Blaze stopped.

"You can choose any room from here on back," J said to the group. "On your left are rooms tha' give you an overview of the backstage area of the Tower. On your right are rooms tha' give you a nice view of Paramount Studios."

Everyone grabbed their respected luggage and chose a room. Hunter, Colleen, and Dylan chose rooms that were on the right, while Exile, Blitz, and Shag chose the rooms on the left side. Once the Rovers got situated in their rooms, they came downstairs and entered the living room. J and Ice Blaze were finishing up untangling the lights and rolling them into circles. Melanie was placing electric candles into the windows of the living room.

"Do you need any help?" asked Hunter.

"Well," J said as he stood up and bent backwards to pop his back. "We'll be puttin' these lights up outside but not right now."

"How 'bout we set up the tree?" asked Ice Blaze as he dragged one of the containers.

"Sure," said Colleen.

Exile moved the second purple container and placed it next to the one that Ice Blaze just moved. Ice Blaze opened both containers. Everyone crowded around the two containers and began pulling the tree's pieces out of the two containers. Melanie and Dylan sorted the branches from the first container, and Hunter and Colleen sorted the branches from the second container. Exile and Ice Blaze were putting the tree stand together and placed the stand close to the upper right hand corner of the living room. J found the extension cords and instructions in the first container. Blitz and Shag unfolded all the branches, while Melanie, Dylan, Exile, and J were putting the tree to together row by row. With help from Hunter and Colleen, Ice Blaze was attaching strands of lights together so that they could be put on the tree once the tree is assembled. Once the tree was assembled, Hunter and Colleen volunteered to put the lights on the tree.

"Don't get tangled like J n' Blaze did," Melanie cautioned them.

"We won't luv," said Colleen as she grabbed part of the long strand of lights.

"The extension cord is on the couch," J said as he placed the cord on the couch.

"Okay," Hunter said from underneath the tree, stringing the lights onto the branches of the tree in an over and under fashion.

J and Ice Blaze went to their rooms to get their shoes and heavy coats on. They came back into the living room a moment later to pick up a box of icicle lights and lights with garland. Dylan decided to help them, so he went upstairs and got his coat. He followed J and Ice Blaze up another flight of stairs that leads to the roof of the building. J placed the box that contained the garland with lights down and opened the door that separates the stairs and the rooftop porch. The porch was big and enclosed with numerous chairs and couches along the walls. On the left side and in front of the group were windows that show the rooftop of the Tower. There was also a door at the front of the room that leads outside.

Dylan opened the door, while J picked up the box he put down. J and Ice Blaze went through the door, and Dylan closed the door behind him. The rooftop was a big recreational area for the apartment residents. Directly in front of the porch was a patio with patio furniture and a grill. It was surrounded by a garden. Within the garden, there is a path that leads to a pond, which is surrounded by stone benches. There are lamps on either side of the path. At the other end of the area is a basketball court. Snow covered the entire recreational area.

"So, what's first?" asked Dylan as he looked at J and Ice Blaze.

"Well, we could wrap the lamps with the Christmas light wrapped garland," suggested J. "Then we could tackle the icicle lights tha' would connect from one lamp to anothe'."

"Okay."

"But we need to get the ladde'," Ice Blaze said as he went back inside the building to get the ladder.

Inside the building, Melanie and Exile were stringing the garland with lights down the hallway of the first floor. Blitz and Shag were putting the Nativity scene together on the table that was sitting between the TV and tree. Ice Blaze entered the hallway. Melanie looked in the direction of the white tiger.

"Blaze, I thought you were helpin' J n' Dylan wit' the lights outside?"

"I am," replied the white tiger. "I jus' came in to get the ladde' so tha' we could wrap the lamps wit' the garland n' string the icicle lights between 'em."

"Okay, n' tell J to be careful. We don't wanna have a repeat of last year."

"What happened last year?" Exile asked, while running the garland through the hooks that were inserted into the wall.

"Last Christmas, J was on the ladde' puttin' the icicle lights on the lamps. The ladde' was close to the pond that was frozen, n' it was sittin' on a patch of ice. He was leanin' too far on the ladde' while stringin' the last set to the last lamp when the ladde' slipped. He fell off the ladde' n' fell into the pond…"

"Becomin' a fudgesicle," Ice Blaze interjected while holding his gut as he started to laugh. "Lemme go n' get this ladde'." He went on down the hallway to get the ladder, while still busting a gut. He got the ladder and returned back to the recreational area with a smile still plastered on his face. He met up with J and Dylan, who were starting to put the garland on the first lamp on the left side of the path. He took one look at J and started to snicker, causing J and Dylan to look at him funny.

"Wha's so funny?" J asked which caused the tiger to bust into hysterics, fall down and rolling in the snow.

Dylan and J looked at each other with confused expressions on their faces while the tiger continued his fit of laughter. Tears streamed down the tiger's face as his body convulsed with laughter. After a few minutes, Ice Blaze started to calm down. He got up from the snow and wiped the tears from his eyes. His breathing slowed down, and he let out sigh.

"Man, my sides hurt now," Ice Blaze said as he wiped the snow off his jeans and picked up the ladder. Another smile formed when he handed the ladder to J.

"Will you please tell us wha' was so funny?" J asked as he took the ladder from his brother.

"You don't remembe' the fudgesicle incident?" Ice Blaze asked as his smile grew wider and his body started to go into small convulsions as he tried to contain his laughter.

It took a moment for it to register into J's mind what Ice Blaze said. J just rolled his eyes as he set up the ladder next to the first lamp so that he could wrap the upper half of the lamp.

"Shut up n' hold the ladde' tiger boy so tha' I won't fall into the frozen pond like last year," J said as Ice Blaze moved toward the ladder. "On second thought, Dylan would you mind holdin' the ladde' 'cause I can't trust my brothe'."

"Sure," Dylan said as he and Ice Blaze switched positions.

Back in the living room, Hunter and Colleen were progressing on putting the lights on the tree. In the hallway, Melanie and Exile were stringing the garland with lights on the other side of the hallway. Shag and Blitz dug through the boxes and found numerous wreathes. Shag took some wreathes and went to where Melanie and Exile were at. Shag tapped Melanie's shoulder. She turned around to look at the large sheepdog who held up a wreath.

"Oh, those wreathes go onto the doors to the bedrooms," Melanie said, pointing to the bedroom doors.

Shag nodded his head and went back to where Blitz was at and mumbled something to the doberman. The two gathered as many wreathes as possible and began to hang wreathes on each of the bedroom doors on both floors.

Back outside, J wrapped all the lamps on each side of the path. Ice Blaze volunteered to connect each lamp with a set of icicle lights, while J supported the ladder. After about forty five minutes, the trio finished with the outside lights and went back inside to warm up. Once inside, they went to their rooms to remove their coats and shoes.

Ice Blaze left his room and headed toward the kitchen so that he could fix some hot chocolate for everyone. The kitchen was large so that it can handle large groups of people at once. Sitting in the middle of the kitchen was a large table with chairs surrounding it. A chandelier hung from the ceiling. A counter was placed against two of the walls. Sitting in the counter was a microwave. The refrigerator sat against the left wall. Next to the fridge was the kitchen sink. Across from the sink was the stove. Ice Blaze went to the cupboard pulled out a box of hot chocolate mix and nine glasses. He walked over to the sink and poured water into each of the nine glasses. He moved over to the microwave and carefully placed all nine glasses in the microwave. After he heated the water, he placed the glasses on the table and poured hot chocolate mix into each of the glasses. After stirring each glass with a spoon, he placed the glasses on tray and went into the living room. He placed the tray full of hot chocolate on the coffee table that was sitting in front of the couch.

"Something smells good," Colleen commented as she sniffed the hot chocolate scented air.

"Sure does Colleen," Hunter said as he sniffed the air as well.

"Well, I hope you like hot chocolate," Ice Blaze said as he handed the two a steamy glass of hot chocolate.

Hunter and Colleen accepted the glass and took a sip of it. The warm liquid raced down their throats and started to warm up their bodies. Everyone came into the living room and took a glass off chocolate. Ice Blaze went back into the kitchen and fixed a bowl of hot chocolate for Muzzle. He returned and placed the bowl on the floor for Muzzle to drink. Muzzle came over to the bowl and started to lap the hot drink into his mouth. Ice Blaze kneeled and scratched behind Muzzle's head. Ice Blaze got back up and sat on the left arm of the couch. Everyone found a spot in the living room and enjoyed the warm drink.

After everyone was finished with their drink, Ice Blaze gathered the glasses and took them back into the kitchen, so he could clean them. Shag offered a hand in cleaning the glasses. Everyone else was still in the living room, getting ready to put the ornaments on the Christmas tree. They got all of the boxes of ornaments set on the coffee table and couch. Everyone grabbed a box of multicolored glass balls and started to hang them onto the tree. Colleen and Melanie grabbed a box of bows and tied them onto the numerous branches. Hunter and Dylan started to string the gold garland throughout the branches of the tree. Ice Blaze grabbed a box that contained a big white bow. He handed the bow to Blitz who placed it on top of the tree. Everyone stood back to admire tree.

"Hold up, the tree ain't plugged in," Ice Blaze said as he crawled underneath the tree and plugged the extension cord into the outlet.

The tree lit up in a magnificent splendor. The white lights shined on the multicolored balls, bringing out vibrant colors on the tree. The garland created a golden angelic glow around the Christmas tree. It was a beautiful sight to behold.

Exile moved the tree over into the corner, and Melanie placed a white tree skirt underneath the tree.

"There's one thing left to do," J said.

"Take these boxes back upstairs?" asked Ice Blaze.

"Well tha', but I was talkin' 'bout the Christmas village."

"Oh."

"Did you bring down the boxes for the village?" Melanie asked as she looked through the pile boxes for the village.

"I thought I did, but I'll go get 'em," J said as he turned around and left the living room to get the boxes for Christmas village.

Melanie moved over to a large table that was sitting between the windows and the elevators and started to move things off of it. Dylan and Hunter helped her remove the rest of the stuff from the table. J returned, dragging a big cardboard box into the living room. He dragged the box over to the table. Ice Blaze used his claws to cut the tape that sealed the box shut. Hunter, Dylan, and Exile began taking smaller boxes that contained delicate porcelain buildings for the Christmas village. J and Melanie lifted a large styrofoam box that was at the bottom of the big cardboard box. She lifted the top off the large box to reveal old fashioned buildings, figurines, light posts, and trees. Everyone grabbed a building and began to put the village together. After it was put together, Exile strung the lights into each of the buildings. Hunter handed the husky a power strip for all the sets of lights. Exile plugged each set of lights into the strip and plugged the strip into the outlet.

The lights brought the village to life. Some of the buildings had windows, and when the village is lit up, one could look inside the building and view the interior. On the far right side of the village was a lighthouse with a light that actually rotates. On the other end of the village is a barn. In the center of the village is a pond where some of the figurines are skating.

"This is abso-bloomin-lutely beautiful," Colleen commented on the extravagant village.

"It sure is," Hunter said in agreement.

Later that night, everyone was in their rooms. In J's room, J was on his computer listening to Christmas music, and his tail wagged to the beat. He was wearing a red t-shirt and red plaid pajama pants. In Ice Blaze's room, he was lying on his bed, watching a Christmas special; he was only wearing blue pajama pants, which left him shirtless, showing his muscular figure. Melanie was in her room, making out Christmas cards; she wore a white sleeveless shirt and pink pajama pants. Upstairs in Dylan's room, Dylan was sitting at the desk that was in the room, writing in his journal. Shag was already in bed, sleeping and dreaming about red wood trees. Blitz was admiring himself in the mirror. Exile was sitting in a chair and reading _How the Grinch Stole Christmas!_ Hunter was lying in his bed, tossing a tennis ball in the air, and Muzzle was sleeping on a blanket on the floor next to Hunter's bed. Colleen was sitting in front of a vanity in a silk nightgown, brushing her hair. A few hours later, all the lights within the apartment were off, and everyone was finally sleeping.


	3. Winter Fun

Chapter 3: Winter Fun

The next morning, a horrified shriek filled the entire building. In J's room, the shriek caused J to jump out of his bed and bang his head against the computer desk. He groaned as he placed his right hand on his head.

"I'll be feelin' tha' late'," he groaned as he made his way toward the door.

Outside of his room, everyone else rushed toward the source of the scream, which came from the kitchen. Upon arrival, everyone saw Melanie standing on a chair with a look of fear on her face.

"What's wrong?" asked Dylan.

"There's a mouse in here," Melanie replied.

Something furry scurried over Blitz's bare feet, causing him to shriek and jump on top of the table. The mouse scurried into the living room where every other Rover leapt for higher ground, with the exception of Ice Blaze. Ice Blaze began to pursue the mouse around the room, and the mouse ran out of the living and into the hallway. Ice Blaze chased after the mouse on all fours.

"You're goin' to meet your creator, Walt, when I get through wit' you," the white tiger said as he followed the mouse up the stairs.

Everyone else got back on the floor, and Melanie entered the living room. They were silent as they were listening to the sounds of Ice Blaze chasing the mouse. A moment later, a loud thump was heard coming from the second floor. Everyone rushed toward the second floor to see what had happened. At the end of the hallway was Ice Blaze. From a distance, he looked like he was lying down, but a closer look revealed that the white tiger has his head stuck through the wall, and he started to struggle to free himself. Hunter was the first one to get to Ice Blaze.

"Blaze, what happened to you bro?" he asked.

Ice Blaze said something that was muffled by the dry-wall.

"What was that?"

On the other side of the wall, Ice Blaze raised his voice so that Hunter could hear him.

"I SAID THA' I WAS CHASIN' AFTE' THA' MOUSE TOWARD THE END OF THE HALLWAY, WHEN THE LIL' FUZZBALL MADE A SHARP RIGHT! I WAS RUNNIN' FULL FORCE N' RAN INTO THE WALL N' GOT MY HEAD STUCK!"

"You got your head stuck? How did tha' happen?"

"DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME!?! I SAID I WAS CHASIN' AFTE' A MOUSE WHEN THIS HAPPENED!?!

"When what happened?"

"IS THERE SOMEONE ELSE OUT THERE THA' I CAN TALK TO OR TRANSLATE!?!"

"We get it Blaze," Melanie said as she rested a hand on the tiger's back and started to rub it, trying to calm the big cat down.

"WELL, I'M GLAD SOMEONE UNDERSTANDS! I WAS 'BOUT TO HAVE A BAD CASE OF DÉJÀ VU!"

"I'll get your head unstuckski comrade Ice Blaze," Exile said.

Ice Blaze stopped squirming so that Exile can wrap his arms around the white tiger's waist.

"You kno', from this angle tha' looks so wrong," J said, since he was standing on the right side of the two anisapiens.

Exile began to pull Ice Blaze's body, while Ice Blaze helped Exile by pulling as well. After a few minutes of pulling, Ice Blaze's head finally came out of the wall and left a bigger hole than what it started.

"We'll get it fixed afte' Christmas," Melanie said. "Who's up for some breakfast?"

Everyone raised their hands.

"Who's up for some Advil?" J asked as he grabbed his head.

Ice Blaze held up his hand.

"I'll fix breakfast once I get something for this headache," Ice Blaze said as he went downstairs to the first floor.

Everyone followed suit and went downstairs. Ice Blaze was in the bathroom and grabbed a bottle of Advil and brought it out of the bathroom. J was sitting on the couch in the living room, and Ice Blaze walked over and handed him a couple of pills. J gladly accepted them and swallowed them.

"You don't want any wate' for those?" Ice Blaze asked.

"Nah, I'm fine," J replied.

Ice Blaze nodded his head and returned the bottle of Advil to the medicine cabinet in the bathroom. He left the bathroom and headed into the kitchen to start making breakfast. In the kitchen, Dylan was making pancake batter.

"I didn't kno' you can cook Dyl," Ice Blaze said.

"I've learned while I wasn't on missions," he replied as he stirred the batter and looked at Ice Blaze. "Where's the skillet?"

Ice Blaze went over to one of the lower cabinets and found the skillet. He placed the skillet on one of the heating units on the stove and turned it on. He went back to the cupboard and dug out a pan. He placed the pan on another heating unit on the stove and turned it on. He walked over to the fridge a grabbed a package of bacon. He closed the door and went over to the stove. He grabbed can of cooking spray and sprayed it in both the pan and skillet. He took the bacon out of the package and started placing strips into the pan. Dylan finished mixing the batter and went over to the skillet, pouring the batter into the skillet. He made four pancakes on the skillet. It took them about thirty minutes to fix breakfast. Dylan grabbed a plate from the cupboard and stacked the pancakes on the plate. Ice Blaze grabbed another plate and placed the strips of bacon on it. They placed the dishes in the center of the table. Ice Blaze went back to the cupboard and grabbed nine glasses. Dylan grabbed nine plates. They placed them on the table. Dylan went to the fridge and retrieved the milk, orange juice, and grape juice jugs. Ice Blaze gathered the silverware and placed them on the table, and he went into the pantry to get the syrup and placed it on the table as well.

"Breakfast is ready everyone," Dylan announced to the group in the living room.

Everyone got up and entered the kitchen. The aroma of pancakes and bacon filled the air of the kitchen. They sniffed the air, and their mouths began to water. They sat down at the table. Blitz grabbed his fork and stretched his arm across the table toward the pancakes. Melanie reached over and smacked Blitz's hand. Blitz let out a yelp as he reeled his arm back and started to kiss his hand.

"In this household, we say grace," Melanie said as she looked at the doberman.

"Who wants to say grace?" asked Ice Blaze.

"I will," volunteered Dylan. "Will everyone please bow their heads in prayer?" Everyone lowered their heads and closed their eyes as Dylan began the prayer. "Dear God, we are here today to give thanks for the food that we are about to eat. We also give thanks for our friends that welcomed us into their home to spend Christmas with them. But most of all, we give thanks to your son Jesus who was born during this time to save us all from sin. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen."

"Amen," everyone chorused as they began to dig into the pancakes and bacon.

"So what's going to 'appen today?" Colleen asked while taking a bite of her pancakes.

"Well, there's is a Christmas concert here at Studios tha' will happen tomorrow night," Ice Blaze said.

"Cool, who's performing?" asked Hunter as he took sip of orange juice.

"We are," chorused Melanie, J, and Ice Blaze.

"I didn't know you could tune a carry comrades," Exile said.

"Tune a carry?" Melanie whispered into J's ear.

"He meant carry a tune," he whispered back.

"Oh."

"How 'bout we go outside afte' we clean up all the dishes n' get cleaned up," Ice Blaze suggested as he finished his breakfast and took his dishes to the sink to wash them.

Everyone finished their meals and placed their dishes in the sink. Shag and Ice Blaze washed the dishes, while Blitz and J dried them and handed them to Hunter and Colleen who placed them in the cupboards. Once the dishes were out of the way, everyone went into their rooms to get some fresh clothes for the day. In a few hours, everyone got ready to go outside for some winter fun.

Everyone went downstairs and out of the Tower toward a field that was close to the backstage area. In the field, Hunter and Colleen were building a snowman together. Hunter was building the bottom part, and Colleen was building the middle part. Blitz was building a snowman version of himself. Exile was using his ice vision to create blocks of ice, and Ice Blaze used his claws to create ice sculptures out of the blocks of ice. Muzzle frolicked in the snow, jumping and catching the falling snowflakes in his mouth. Shag was attempting to build a red wood forest out of snow. Melanie, Dylan, and J were making snow angels.

After making his snow angel, J got up and bent over. He grabbed a bit of snow and rolled it up into a ball. He made his way over to where Exile and Ice Blaze were making an ice sculpture of everyone. He hid the snowball behind his back.

"Hey Blaze! Think fast!" J shouted as he threw the snowball at the white tiger.

Ice Blaze turned his head in J's direction just in time for his face to get nailed by a snowball. Ice Blaze shook the snow off his face. He bent down and made a snowball. He stood up and threw it in J's direction. J saw it coming and ducked down, but Dylan stood up from making his snow angel and got hit in the side of his face by Ice Blaze's snowball.

"Hey! Who did that?"

"The tiger did…" J said before getting hit by a snowball. He wiped the snow off with his hands.

"Gotcha bro," Ice Blaze said with a grin on his face.

J and Dylan both made snowballs and threw at Ice Blaze, but the white tiger ducked just as the two snowballs flew over his head and struck Blitz, causing him to fall onto his snowy self portrait.

"Look wha' y'all did," Ice Blaze laughed.

Blitz picked himself up and glared at the two perpetrators. He bent down and made two snowballs, but before he had a chance to throw the two snowballs, he got bombarded by three snowballs. As a result, Blitz threw the two snowballs in two different directions. The first snowball hit Melanie in the back of the head. She let out a shriek as she twirled around in the direction of the snowball. The second snowball struck Colleen's leg. She bent down, created a snowball, and threw a snowball, but it missed her desired target, which was Blitz. Instead, the snowball struck Exile in the back who was using his ice vision to create another block of ice, but the hit caused him to accidentally freeze Blitz in a block of ice. Blitz gave a quick girlish shriek before being encased in a block of ice. Hunter got hit in the face with a snowball by Exile who tried to hit Colleen.

An 'every man for himself' snowball war erupted. Snowballs flew through the air in every direction and bombarded their targets. Shag was still making a miniature red wood forest out of snow, but he got hit by a straying snowfall. He then joined the battle. Blitz was the only one that didn't jump in since he was an ice sculpture. The fight continued on for thirty more minutes until a cease fire was called. Everyone, with the exception of Blitz, was lying on the ground, breathing heavily from all the action of throwing snowballs at each other. Their breaths formed in front of their faces.

After a few minutes, they got up and wiped the snow off their bodies. Exile used his heat vision to melt the ice off of Blitz's body.

"Aw man, I liked him bette' as a block of ice," Ice Blaze said with disappointment in his voice.

"Same here," J said before adding; "Besides he had enough hot air to get out of there himself."

Once Blitz was free, everyone made their way back into the Tower, so they could change into warm clothes. Inside the Tower, Blitz was sitting on the couch in the living room with a thick blanket around him. He shivered from being enclosed in a block of ice. Ice Blaze fixed a glass of hot chocolate for the doberman, and he handed the glass toward the doberman who happily took it from the white tiger.

That evening, everyone moved into the home theater that was located in the opposite direction of the hallway that led to the bedrooms. The home theater was a huge room with a screen as big as an IMAX screen. There were rows of seats in a stadium fashion. In the back of the theater was the projection room. Within the projection room there were numerous computer projectors that were connected together to form a huge image on the giant screen. There was a table where most of the A/V equipment such as a DVD player, VCR, a computer used to create one image out of the projectors, and another computer used for the sound system, sat. J was in the projection room, placing a DVD into the disc tray of the player. He dimmed the lights and turned on the projectors. He pressed the play button to start the movie. He left the room to join the others in the theater. He sat down next to Melanie.

"So what movie are we watching?" asked Hunter. He was sitting next to Colleen, with his left arm draped over her shoulder.

"A Christmas classic," replied J.

"Miracle on 34th Street?" asked Colleen.

"No."

"It's a Wonderful Life?" asked Dylan.

"No."

Shag mumbled something.

"Wha' did he say?"

"He asked is it A Christmas Carol," Hunter translated.

"No."

"Then what?" asked Blitz.

"Christmas Vacation," J replied as the WB logo appeared on the giant screen, and the theme began to play.

After an hour and a half of side splitting hilarity, everyone decided to go to bed because tomorrow night was the Christmas concert at the Studios.


	4. Family and Concert at the Studios

Chapter 4: Family and Concert at the Studios

The next morning everyone got up and headed toward the kitchen for some breakfast. For breakfast, J made oatmeal, bacon, and toast for everyone. Everyone sat down around the table and ate their breakfast.

"I didn't know you can cook J," Hunter said as he bit into his toast.

"I can't," J replied. "Tha' oatmeal came from a packet, n' I used two packets per bowl n' added sugar."

"That's probably the only thing he can fix," Blitz said with his mouth full of food.

"Don't talk wit' your mouth full," Melanie reprimanded the doberman. "If I was your mothe', I would be ashamed."

"I would be ashamed too because he's a weird boy," Exile said while drinking a glass of milk.

Just then, the phone in the living room rang. J got up from his seat and answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey there nephew!" a male southern African American voice shouted from the receiver.

J quickly held the phone at a distance from his ear, and he put the phone back to his ear when the ringing stopped and answered. "Hello Uncle Sherman. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas to you too," his uncle said. "I jus' wanted to let you kno' tha' we're already here at the airport n' waitin' for y'all to pick us up."

"Oh okay, I'll b-…wait a minute," J said. "Did you jus' say tha' y'all are at the airport…here?"

"Yep."

"I'm on my way," J sighed as he hung up the phone.

"Who was it?" Melanie asked, walking out of the kitchen toward her brother.

"Well our family from down South decided to join us for Christmas too," J replied. "I don't even kno' how they got the money to afford a trip to Japan."

"Wha' about Cousin Leon?" asked Ice Blaze.

"Oh yeah, I forgot 'bout Cousin Leon," J said. He then headed toward his room. "Well, I bette' get ready n' pick em' up."

"I'll go with you," Hunter said.

"Me too," Dylan added.

All three of them headed toward their rooms so that they could get their clothes, coats, and shoes on. J was the first to get ready and waited for Hunter and Dylan by the elevators in the living room. Hunter and Dylan joined up with him a minute later. They went down to the first floor and out of the Tower. J went into the garage to retrieve his black H2. He got in and shifted the vehicle in reverse. The vehicle backed out of the garage and headed toward the spot where Hunter and Dylan were waiting. J stopped the vehicle, and Hunter and Dylan got in. Hunter was in the front passenger seat, and Dylan sat behind J. J shifted into drive and slowly drove out onto the snowy road.

"So J, what's your relatives like?" asked Hunter.

"Well, they're kinda dysfunctional," J answered, while turning a corner. "Well, when you think 'bout it, I think tha' everyone in my family is dysfunctional. The one tha' called me was my Uncle Sherman. He's a lil' on the heavy side, but I don't kno' wha' he does though. Then there's my Aunt Charlene; she's jus' as big him n' loves to cook. She cooks like it is Thanksgiving everyday n' tha' is the reason why they're a 'big' family. Leon is a scientist n' a professor at a university, but I can't remembe' which one. Ray Ray is Cousin Leon's brothe', but I don't kno' wha' he does eithe'. Lil' Ray Ray is Ray Ray's son. Think of him as miniature version of his fathe'. Finally there's Mama; she n' Uncle Sherman don't get along well."

"Sorry to change the subject, but I need to ask a favor," Hunter said as he turned his head toward J.

"Sure, wha' is it?" J asked, glancing at Hunter through the corner of his eye.

"Can Colleen and I sing a song at your concert tonight?"

"Sure, wha' song?"

Hunter whispered the name of the song in J's ears, and J nodded his head.

"Tha's seems to be a perfect song."

"What is it?" asked Dylan. Hunter whispered it in Dylan's ear as well, and Dylan smiled. "That's an excellent choice for you two."

"Question," J said, changing the subject. "How long have you two been seein' each othe'?"

"Ever since the team was first formed," replied Hunter in a matter of fact tone.

"No, wha' I meant was how long have you two been togethe'?"

"Oh," Hunter said, blushing from embarrassment. "About a year."

"Tha' long? Dang, I'm always the last one to find out 'bout these things."

"Well, there were subtle clues to it while we were here," laughed Dylan. "It wasn't that hard to notice."

"Well excuse me for bein' slow these past few days."

Dylan and Hunter laughed as the vehicle arrived at the airport. The vehicle stopped in front of the building. Waiting outside in the cold were six big African Americans. J stepped out of the vehicle and headed toward his relatives.

"J, come give your aunt a hug n' some suga," said a woman with brown curly hair and glasses. She's wore a white sweater with a Christmas tree on it and jeans. J went over and gave her a hug. She returned it with a big embrace, and the embrace caused all of the air to leave J's body, making his eyes bug out and gasping for air. "It's been so long since we've last seen you."

J regained his breath before speaking. "I kno'. It's great to see all of y'all."

Hunter and Dylan joined J.

"Who are they?"

"This is Hunter n' Dylan from the Road Rovers," J answered, while pointing to each of them. "Guys, this is my aunt, Charlene." He pointed to the woman he was hugging earlier.

"Nice to meet you two."

"Nice to meet you too ma'am," Dylan said.

"Same here," Hunter said.

J began to introduce everyone else. He pointed to the oldest male that has graying hair and a bald spot. He wore a multicolored stripped sweater and black pants. "Tha's Uncle Sherman." He pointed to another male that is wearing white buttoned up dress shirt and black dress pants. He also wore a pair of glasses. "Tha's Cousin Leon. He pointed to another male that is wearing a grey hoodie and grey sweat pants; he also had a bald spot. "Tha's Cousin Ray Ray." He then pointed to a younger boy about twelve years of age, wearing a red South Pole hoodie similar to the one Ice Blaze wore a few days ago and baggy pants. "Tha's Lil' Ray Ray." He finally pointed to an elderly woman with grey curly hair, wearing a red and green dress with a white shawl draped over her shoulder, riding a scooter. "Tha's Mama."

"Let us help you with those bags and presents," Dylan said as he grabbed some of the luggage and loaded it into the back of the Hummer.

"That's nice of you Dylan," Aunt Charlene said. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

"It's always wonnerful to see a strong young gentleman like you, helpin' an old lady like me," Mama said as she rolled up next to Dylan, looking up at the mutt. "Why don't I show you how someone like me has a good time, while everyone else is sleepin'?"

Dylan blinked and looked down at Mama with a shocked expression on his face.

"Uh…ma'am," Dylan stammered. "I don't think…"

"Oh don't worry 'bout us makin' loud noises n' shakin' the whole place, it's all part of the fun," she said, looking at the stunned teen above her glasses, wriggling her thinning eyebrows.

"Leave tha' boy alone you horny old buzzard," Uncle Sherman said from within the vehicle.

"Sherman, you best let me be, or I'll park this scoote' so far up your fudgemake' tha' laxatives can't even reach it."

J tapped on Dylan's shoulder. Dylan turned around and saw J signaling for him. Dylan walked toward J.

"Is she always like tha' J?"

"Unfortunately yes," J replied, placing a hand on his head and shaking his head. "Jus' watch your back. She's on the prowl. C'mon, let's get the rest of these bags into the H2."

J, Hunter, and Dylan loaded everything, including the scooter into the back of the Hummer. Everyone got into the H2, but when trying to get Mama into her seat, she wanted Dylan to help her into her seat. Once everyone was seated, J shifted the vehicle into drive and exited the airport. The vehicle got back onto the road and headed back to Paramount Resort.

It was around 10:00 when the vehicle arrived back at the Tower. J parked the vehicle in the garage. Everyone got out of the vehicle. J opened the back hatch and pulled out Mama's scooter; he moved it over to the right side of the vehicle and helped Mama, with some protest from her, into her scooter. He then went and helped Dylan and Hunter get the luggage and presents out of the back of the Hummer. Everyone entered the Tower and went into the elevator to get to the apartment. Once the elevator reached the top, everyone entered the living room, where Melanie, Ice Blaze, and the other Rovers were watching the television.

"Hey there, niece n' nephew!" Uncle Sherman greeted Melanie and Ice Blaze.

Ice Blaze and Melanie got up from the couch and greeted their uncle with a hug.

"It's good to see you uncle," Melanie said, while hugging her uncle.

"Hi Aunt Charlene," Ice Blaze said, hugging his aunt.

After greetings and introductions were made, the rest of the day went with no events, with the exception Mama still flirting with Dylan. Day turned into night, and everyone in the Tower was getting ready for the Christmas Concert at the Studios. Everyone was in the living room. The Road Rovers, with the exception of J, Ice Blaze, Shag, and Muzzle, wore their dress uniforms, which consisted of a red jacket with gold trims, a white dress shirt with a black tie, black leather belt with a gold buckle, white gloves, brown pants, and black boots. J and Ice Blaze wore black suits with white dress shirts, black ties, and black dress shoes. Melanie also wore a suit, but her suit was grey. Their relatives just wore casual clothing.

Everyone entered the elevator and headed down to the first floor. They went through a hidden hallway and into the exit passage that leads to the gift shop. Dylan walked up beside J.

"J, do you mind if I sing a song too?"

"I don't mind at all. What song?"

"O Holy Night."

"Sure why not."

Everyone exited the building through the gift shop. The Tower was surrounded by an overgrown garden. They exited the area of the Tower and headed toward Studio Plaza, the entrance plaza to the park. The Plaza consisted of numerous buildings themed to a Hollywood that people always dreamed off with tall buildings and bright lights. In the center of the plaza was a huge fountain that is frozen so that people can ice skate on it. Behind the fountain was a large mountain. In front of the fountain was an elevated stage that featured a keyboard, a drum set, and numerous microphones. Two of the microphones are positioned at the piano and drum set. J and Ice Blaze stepped onto the stage and took their positions at the piano and drum set respectively.

It was few minutes before the concert actually starts, so J and Ice Blaze decided to play a few songs before the actual concert started. They started with an instrumental version of _Christmas Time is Here_ by Vince Guaraldi Trio. The instrumental pre-show began to attract guests to the stage. The time was now 8:00, which meant the concert was about to begin.

"Welcome guests to our annual Christmas Concert at the Studios," greeted J. "You may have noticed tha' there are a small number of us. Well everyone else went home to spend time wit' their families this year, but we do have a special treat for you. We have two songs tha' will be performed by members of the Road Rovers. Prepare to have a wonderful time."

Melanie came on stage and took a microphone stand and placed it next to the piano. Ice Blaze gave the beat, and J and Ice Blaze began to play the vocal version of _Christmas Time is Here_ by Vince Guaraldi Trio.

Melanie, J, and Ice Blaze:  
_Christmas time is here  
Happiness and cheer  
Fun for all, that children call  
Their favorite time of year_

Snowflakes in the air  
Carols everywhere  
Olden times, and ancient rhymes  
Of love and dreams to share

Sleigh bells in the air  
Beauty everywhere  
Yuletide by the fireside  
Joyful memories there

Sleigh bells in the air  
Beauty everywhere  
Yuletide by the fireside  
Joyful memories there

Christmas time is here  
We'll be drawing near  
Oh, that we could always see  
Such spirit through the year

Music break by J and Ice Blaze.

_Sleigh bells in the air  
Beauty everywhere  
Yuletide by the fireside  
Joyful memories there_

Christmas time is here  
We'll be drawing near  
Oh, that we could always see  
Such spirit through the year

All the guests applauded after the song was over. Melanie then moved the microphone stand to the center of the stage. She began to sing Whitney Houston's version of _The First Noel_.

Melanie:  
_The first Noel, the angel did say,  
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay;  
In fields where they lay tending their sheep,  
On a cold winter's night that was so deep.  
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel  
Born is the King of Israel._

They looked up and saw a star  
Shining in the East, beyond them far;  
And to the earth it gave great light,  
And so it continued both day and night.  
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel  
Born is the King of Israel.

Jesus Christ is  
Born is the King of Israel.  
Born is the King of Israel

Noel, Noel, Noel  
Born is the King of Israel.

Jesus  
The first Noel  
He is the Son yeah  
Born is the King of  
King of  
Oh yeah yeah  
Oh Christ is born  
Ooh hallelujah hey  
He is born  
Oh Christ the King is born

Everyone applauded after Melanie's solo. She took a bow and left the stage so that J and Ice Blaze could do their song. They were doing their version of _This Christmas_.

J and Ice Blaze started the intro.

Ice Blaze:  
_Hang all the mistletoe  
I'm gonna get to know you better,  
Oh yeah  
This Christmas  
And as I trim the tree  
How fun it's gonna be together  
Oh, this Christmas_

J:  
_The fire side is blazing bright  
And were carolin' through the night_

Together:  
_And this Christmas_

J:  
_This Christmas_

Together:  
_Will be, a very special Christmas_

J:  
_Very special_

Ice Blaze:  
_For me_

J:  
_Presents and cards are here  
My world is filled with cheer and you  
Ya, this Christmas  
And as I look around  
Your eyes out-shine the town  
They do  
Ya, this Christmas_

Ice Blaze:_  
Oh, fire side is blazing bright  
And were carolin' through the night_

Together:  
_And this Christmas  
Will be a very special Christmas  
For me_

Music Break.

J:  
Hey Blaze, wha' do you want for Christmas?

Ice Blaze:  
I want peace on Earth n' good will for all men

J:  
Brothe' please. I want a new game console, a new hard drive for my compute', n' a flat screen TV.

Ice Blaze:  
If you're good, maybe Santa will bring you tha' stuff.

_Oh, fire side is blazing bright  
And were carolin' through the night  
_  
Together:  
_And this Christmas  
Will be, a very special Christmas for me_

J:_  
Hang all the mistletoe  
I'm gonna get to know you better  
Ya, this Christmas  
And as I trim the tree  
How fun it's gonna be together  
O, this Christmas_

Ice Blaze:_  
Oh, the fire side is blazing bright  
And were carolin' through the night_

Together:_  
And this Christmas  
Will be, a very special Christmas for me_

J:  
This is great, spendin' time wit' family n' friends.

Ice Blaze:  
I know n' singin' Christmas carols.

J:  
Why don't we sing some?

Ice Blaze:  
Oh come on J. We've been singin' for quite some time now, but I'll do it anyway.

J:  
So, wha're we goin' to sing?

Ice Blaze:  
I got one.  
_Jingle Bells.  
Jingles Bells._

J:  
How about  
_A lil' Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer?_

Ice Blaze:  
_Dashin' through the snow  
_  
J:  
_Frosty the Snowman  
_  
Ice Blaze:  
_Joy to the world  
_  
J:  
_It was silent night,  
And it was a holy night  
_  
Ice Blaze:  
_Away in the manger.  
_  
J:_  
This Christmas,_

Ice Blaze:_  
This Christmas_

J:_  
This Christmas,_

Ice Blaze:_  
This Christmas_

J:_  
The fire side is blazing bright_

Together:_  
This Christmas_

Ice Blaze:_  
Caroling all through the night_

Together::_  
This Christmas_

J:_  
Come be with me tonight_

Together:_  
This Christmas  
_

After their performance, Hunter and Colleen made their way onto the stage. J and Ice Blaze placed the microphones they were using to center stage and took their seats back at their instruments. Hunter and Colleen walked on stage and moved over to the two microphone stands that were placed by J and Ice Blaze. Hunter and Colleen began to sing _Baby It's Cold Outside_ by Frank Loesser, with musical accompaniment by J and Ice Blaze.

Colleen:_  
I really can't stay  
__  
_Hunter:_  
Baby it's cold outside  
__  
_Colleen:_  
I've got to go away  
__  
_Hunter:_  
Baby it's cold outside  
__  
_Colleen:_  
This evening has been  
__  
_Hunter:_  
Been hoping that you'd drop in  
__  
_Colleen:_  
So very nice  
__  
_Hunter:_  
I'll hold your hands, they're just like ice  
__  
_Colleen:_  
My mother will start to worry  
__  
_Hunter:_  
Beautiful, what's your hurry _

Colleen:_  
My father will be pacing the floor ___

Hunter:_  
Listen to the fireplace roar ___

Colleen:_  
So really I'd better scurry ___

Hunter:_  
Beautiful, please don't hurry ___

Colleen:_  
Well maybe just a half a drink more ___

Hunter:_  
Put some music on while I pour ___

Colleen:_  
The neighbors might think ___

Hunter:_  
Baby, it's bad out there ___

Colleen:_  
Say, what's in this drink ___

Hunter:_  
No cabs to be had out there ___

Colleen:_  
I wish I knew how ___

Hunter:_  
Your eyes are like starlight now ___

Colleen:_  
To break this spell ___

Hunter:_  
I'll take your hat, your hair looks swell ___

Colleen:_  
I ought to say no, no, no, sir ___

Hunter:_  
Mind if I move a little closer ___

Colleen:_  
At least I'm gonna say that I tried ___

Hunter:_  
What's the sense in hurting my pride ___

Colleen:_  
I really can't stay ___

Hunter:_  
Baby don't hold out ___

Colleen and Hunter:_  
Ahh, but it's cold outside_

Instrumental break by J and Ice Blaze.

Colleen:_  
I simply must go ___

Hunter:_  
Baby, it's cold outside ___

Colleen:_  
The answer is no ___

Hunter:_  
Ooh baby, it's cold outside ___

Colleen:_  
This welcome has been ___

Hunter:_  
I'm lucky that you dropped in ___

Colleen:_  
So nice and warm ___

Hunter:_  
Look out the window at that storm ___

Colleen:_  
My sister will be suspicious ___

Hunter:_  
Man, your lips look so delicious ___

Colleen:_  
My brother will be there at the door ___

Hunter:_  
Waves upon a tropical shore ___

Colleen:_  
My maiden aunt's mind is vicious ___

Hunter:_  
Gosh your lips look delicious ___

Colleen:_  
Well maybe just a half a drink more ___

Hunter:_  
Never such a blizzard before ___

Colleen:_  
I've got to go home ___

Hunter:_  
Oh, baby, you'll freeze out there ___

Colleen:_  
Say, lend me your comb ___

Hunter:_  
It's up to your knees out there ___

Colleen:_  
You've really been grand ___

Hunter:_  
Your eyes are like starlight now ___

Colleen:_  
But don't you see ___

Hunter:_  
How can you do this thing to me ___

Colleen:_  
There's bound to be talk tomorrow ___

Hunter:_  
Making my life long sorrow ___

Colleen:_  
At least there will be plenty implied ___

Hunter:_  
If you caught pneumonia and died ___

Colleen:_  
I really can't stay ___

Hunter:_  
Get over that old out ___

Colleen and Hunter:_  
Ahh, but it's cold outside  
_

Everyone applauded Hunter and Colleen's performance. They took a bow and left the stage. Dylan came on stage next. While he was walking across the stage to the microphone, Mama gave a wolf call, causing the teen to blush from embarrassment underneath his fur. He turned his head toward J and gave him a nod. J began to play the piano, and Dylan began to sing _O Holy Night _by Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure.

Dylan:  
_O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining,  
It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth.  
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.  
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.  
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,  
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.  
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!  
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;  
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!  
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!_

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,  
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.  
O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming,  
Now come the wisemen from out of the Orient land.  
The King of kings lay thus lowly manger;  
In all our trials born to be our friends.  
He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger,  
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!  
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another,  
His law is love and His gospel is peace.  
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.  
And in his name all oppression shall cease.  
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,  
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.  
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,  
His power and glory ever more proclaim!  
His power and glory ever more proclaim!

Everyone applauded Dylan's performance. He gave a bow and walked off stage, joining the rest of the Rovers. Melanie came back on stage and stood in the middle of the stage. J got up from the piano and stood next to her. They both stood in front the two microphone stands. J and Melanie looked behind them and gave a nod to Ice Blaze, who was still at the drum set. Ice Blaze started a steady beat on the snare drum. J and Melanie began to perform _The Little Drummer Boy_ by Katherine K. Davis, Henry Onorati and Harry Simeone.

J and Melanie:  
_Come they told me, pa rum pum pum pum  
A new born King to see, pa rum pum pum pum  
Our finest gifts we bring, pa rum pum pum pum  
To lay before the King, pa rum pum pum pum,  
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,_

So to honor Him, pa rum pum pum pum,  
When we come.

Little Baby, pa rum pum pum pum  
I am a poor boy too, pa rum pum pum pum  
I have no gift to bring, pa rum pum pum pum  
That's fit to give the King, pa rum pum pum pum,  
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,

Shall I play for you, pa rum pum pum pum,  
On my drum?

Mary nodded, pa rum pum pum pum  
The ox and lamb kept time, pa rum pum pum pum  
I played my drum for Him, pa rum pum pum pum  
I played my best for Him, pa rum pum pum pum,  
rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum,

Then He smiled at me, pa rum pum pum pum  
Me and my drum.

J and Melanie gave a bow, while the audience clapped. J walked back toward the piano and took his seat back on the bench. Melanie walked off stage as Ice Blaze got up from his seat behind the drum set and took center stage. He stood in front of one of the microphone stands and gave a nod toward J. J began to play as Ice Blaze began to sing _Let It Snow_ by Sammy Cahn and Jule Styne.

Ice Blaze:  
_Oh the weather outside is frightful,  
But the fire is so delightful,  
And since we've no place to go,  
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!_

It doesn't show signs of Pauseping,  
And I've bought some corn for popping,  
The lights are turned way down low,  
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

When we finally kiss goodnight,  
How I'll hate going out in the storm!  
But if you'll really hold me tight,  
All the way home I'll be warm.

The fire is slowly dying,  
And, my dear, we're still good-bying,  
But as long as you love me so,  
Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

Ice Blaze gave a bow as the audience applauded his solo performance. He stepped aside as Melanie returned back on stage to join him in duet. They looked behind them and gave a nod to J. He started to play, and they began to sing _Winter Wonderland_ by Felix Bernard and Richard B. Smith.

Ice Blaze:  
_Sleigh bells ring, are you listening,  
In the lane, snow is glistening  
A beautiful sight,  
We're happy tonight.  
Walking in a winter wonderland._

Melanie:_  
Gone away is the bluebird,  
Here to stay is a new bird  
He sings a love song,  
As we go along,  
Walking in a winter wonderland._

Ice Blaze:_  
In the meadow we can build a snowman,_

Melanie:_  
Then pretend that he is Parson Brown_

Ice Blaze:_  
He'll say: Are you married?  
We'll say: No man,_

Melanie:_  
But you can do the job  
When you're in town._

Ice Blaze:_  
Later on, we'll conspire,  
As we dream by the fire  
To face unafraid,  
The plans that we've made,  
Walking in a winter wonderland._

Melanie:_  
In the meadow we can build a snowman,  
And pretend that he's a circus clown  
We'll have lots of fun with mister snowman,  
Until the other kids knock him down._

Ice Blaze and Melanie:_  
When it snows, ain't it thrilling,  
Though your nose gets a chilling  
We'll frolic and play, the Eskimo way,  
Walking in a winter wonderland.  
_

Melanie and Ice Blaze gave a bow, while the audience clapped at their duet. Ice Blaze took a microphone stand and went back to his seat behind the drum set. J got up from his seat from the piano and grabbed a microphone stand too. Once J got back to his seat, he and Ice Blaze started a musical intro to Snow on the Water, which is to the tune of Smoke on the Water.

J:  
_The sky is dark and cloudy  
On this frozen day in mid-December.  
I stand at the edge of a lake,  
And I look up into the sky._

Ice Blaze:  
_When I looked up there, I saw  
This wonderful thing called snow.  
It fell with angelic grace  
Onto the lake below._

J and Ice Blaze:  
_Snow on the water.  
The snow is falling with grace.  
It's covering up my face.  
Snow on the water._

Here it comes  
Falling from the sky  
Creating a beautiful scene.  
Down it falls  
Covering the ground  
Making it fun to play in.

J:  
_Well we will play in the snow all day.  
Making angels and get into a fight  
Sticking out our tongues and catching the snow  
Laughing and playing as we have a grand ole time._

_  
_Ice Blaze:  
_In the field  
In the city  
In the park  
At the lake  
The snow is falling  
Straight out of the sky  
Spreading joy to everyone worldwide._

J and Ice Blaze:  
_Snow on the water.  
The snow is falling with grace.  
It's covering up my face.  
Snow on the water._

Here it comes  
Falling from the sky  
Creating a beautiful scene.  
Down it falls  
Covering the ground  
Making it fun to play in.

Here it comes  
Falling from the sky  
Creating a beautiful scene.  
Down it falls  
Covering the ground  
Making it fun to play in.

Here it comes  
Falling from the sky  
Down it falls.  
Let's play.

The audience gave J and Ice Blaze a round of applause. J and Ice Blaze started another Christmas song called Santa Claus Man, which is to the tune of Watermelon Man.

J and Ice Blaze:  
_Here comes good ol' Santa Claus now.  
Here comes good ol' Santa Claus now.  
_  
J (and Ice Blaze):  
_He's ready for the night. (Here comes good ol' Santa Claus now.)  
Sleigh full of toys for kids. (Here comes good ol' Santa Claus now.)  
_  
_At night, he'll be flying through the sky.  
Being pulled by his eight tiny reindeer.  
Coming to our house  
And deliver gifts.  
_  
J and Ice Blaze:  
_Here comes good ol' Santa Claus now.  
Here comes good ol' Santa Claus now._

Ice Blaze:  
_Down the chimney  
He came with a bound.  
Stepping out with all the goodies  
And took a look around._

He placed the gifts underneath the Christmas tree.  
Once through, he went to the chimney.

And with a nod, he went back up the chimney.  
Getting in the sleigh and ordering his team to  
Dash, dash, dash away all  
Let us dash away all and continue  
Our Christmas run

J and Ice Blaze:  
_Go! Santa! Go!_

Ice Blaze provided a drum break.

J and Ice Blaze:  
_There he goes!  
_  
Ice Blaze does another drum break.

J:  
_There he goes  
In his sleigh  
Flying high  
Through the night  
Handing gifts to all tonight_

Ice Blaze (and J):  
_He's flying through the night. (Here comes good ol' Santa Claus now.)  
With gifts for everyone. (Here comes good ol' Santa Claus now.)_

At night, he'll be flying through the sky.  
Being pulled by his eight tiny reindeer.  
Coming to our house  
And deliver gifts.

J and Ice Blaze:  
_Here comes good ol' Santa Claus now._

J:  
_At night, he is flying through the sky.  
Being pulled by his eight tiny reindeer.  
Coming to your house  
And deliver gifts._

J and Ice Blaze:  
_Here comes good ol' Santa Claus.  
_

Everyone clapped their hands after the song was over. J and Ice Blaze started another song called Santa's Train, which is to the tune of Night Train. They started the intro to the song.

Ice Blaze (and J):  
_At the North Pole  
(The elves are working.)  
Right before the Christmas run_

Making toys  
(For who?)  
For all the little girls and boys

Loading them up  
(Into what?)  
Santa's special vehicle

J and Ice Blaze:  
_They are loading up the gifts  
Into each of Santa's train cars  
(Cars, cars, cars)_

They will be used to carry  
All the presents to the entire world  
(World, world, world)

Hitching up the team so that  
They can pull the train down the track  
(Track, track, track)  
It's-

J:  
_Time for Santa to come out  
And board the train  
So that he can deliver all the presents  
To all the girls and the boys_

Ice Blaze and J:  
_Hear that whistle blow  
As it signals the beginning of the run_

Ice Blaze:  
_It's time for him  
To move along the track_

Ice Blaze and J:  
_The team begins to pull the train  
Down the track and off they go_

J:  
_Now it's time to  
Dash along the track_

Ice Blaze and J:  
_Hear the engine's wheels turn  
As they chug along the track_

Ice Blaze:  
_There goes Santa Claus  
Driving the train_

J:  
_Wearing an engineer's cap_

Ice Blaze and J:  
_Pulling the whistle  
Whoo, whoo_

Ice Blaze:  
_Smoke coming out of the stack_

Ice Blaze and J:  
_Filling the sky  
Now it's time  
For him  
To go_

J and Ice Blaze made a quick fill section.

J (and Ice Blaze):  
_There he goes  
(In his train)  
Delivering gifts to everyone_

Round the world  
(To all the)  
Good little girls and boys

Spreading around the world  
(Something special)  
Good ol' fashion Christmas cheer

J and Ice Blaze:  
_Let's give a cheer for Santa  
As he makes his run around world  
(World, world, world)_

Spreading joy to young and old  
Planting a big smile on their face  
(Face, face, face)

Laughing as he drives the train  
To each of his destinations  
To…  
Hand…  
Gifts…

Ice Blaze:  
_As he left  
He said_

J:  
_Merry Christmas…  
And good night_

The audience clapped when J and Ice Blaze finished their song. Melanie came back on stage with another microphone stand and placed it next to J's piano. She stood behind it. J and Ice Blaze began to play 25 Days, which is to the tune of 25 or 6 to 4 by Chicago. J and Ice Blaze started the intro.

J, Ice Blaze, and Melanie:  
_25…  
Days till Christmas_

During this time,  
All the stores are busy with  
Crazy shoppers

J, (Melanie and Ice Blaze):  
_Everyone is looking for_

_(The perfect gift)_

Ice Blaze, (Melanie and J):  
_Looking for that perfect deal  
(Money saved)_

Melanie, (J and Ice Blaze):  
_25 days to shop  
(Actually it's 24)  
Either way, they will get more_

J and Ice Blaze:  
_25, 25, 25, 25,  
25, 25, 25, 25_

25 days till Christmas  
Even though we can't for it  
To come

Ice Blaze performed a drum feature.

Melanie:  
_I enjoy spending time with family and friends  
Doing things that will bring us closer  
Snowball fights and Christmas dinner  
I can't think of anything that is better_

J:  
_I enjoy watching Christmas shows  
That come on each December  
Watching Rudolph and Frosty  
I can't think of anything that is better_

Ice Blaze:  
_The most important reason  
For this joyful season  
Is the birth of Jesus Christ_

J and Ice Blaze provided a quick fill section.

J, Ice Blaze, and Melanie:  
_25…  
Days till Christmas_

Everyone is  
In a happy mood  
Spread the good cheer

Melanie, (J and Ice Blaze):  
_Helping those that are in need  
(Charities)_

Ice Blaze, (Melanie and J):  
_Better to give than to receive  
(Christmas spirit)_

J, (Ice Blaze and Melanie):  
_There are 25 days  
(To spread the joy around)  
To everyone in the world_

J and Ice Blaze provided another fill segment.

J, Ice Blaze, and Melanie:  
_25 days till Christmas  
25 days till Christmas...  
Yeah  
_

Everyone applauded their performance, and Melanie then spoke into the microphone.

"We hope you had a great time at our concert. Let's give a round of applause for all the performers on stage." She waited as the audience applauded. "Thanks for comin' n' enjoy the rest of your stay here at Paramount Resort. Have a safe n' happy holidays."

She left the stage, and J and Ice Blaze played a jazzy version of _Jingle Bells_. After J and Ice Blaze finished playing a few songs, they started to take apart the drum set and placed it on a cart. J placed his keyboard and stand into the cart once the entire drum set was in the cart. Ice Blaze pushed and J pulled the cart off stage and took the cart to the Tower.

Inside the living room, everyone was either sitting or standing.

"Tha' was such a lovely Christmas concert," said Aunt Charlene.

"My favorite part was hot stuff's song," Mama said, glancing at Dylan. "It almost made me jump wit' the Holy Ghost."

"Well, the Holy Ghost should've made you jump outta a window," said Uncle Sherman.

"Sherman!" cried Aunt Charlene, looking at her husband with a shocked look on her face. "Don't talk to Mama like tha'!"

"Don't worry 'bout me Charlene," said Mama. "The good Lord will give me the horsepowe' for my scoote' so tha' I can run him ove'."

J, Melanie, and Ice Blaze just shook their heads. Ice Blaze stretched and yawned.

"I don't kno' 'bout the rest of y'all, I'm goin' to bed," Ice Blaze said as he took off his suit coat and walked down the hallway toward his room.

"I need to do some log sawing myself," Exile said, heading out of the living room.

"Cousin J," Lil' Ray Ray said, looking at J. "Can we go to the mall tomorrow n' see Santa?"

"Sure Lil' Ray Ray," J said. He yawned. "See y'all in the mornin'." He left for his room.

Everyone said their good nights and headed to their rooms so that they could sleep.


	5. Got Santa?

Chapter 5: Got Santa?

The next day, J, Dylan, Ice Blaze, and Lil' Ray Ray went to the mall so that Lil' Ray Ray could see Santa Claus. The mall was a rectangular two story building with numerous stores all along the walls of the building. Throughout the mall, shoppers were getting last minute Christmas deals. In the center of the mall on the first floor was a giant gingerbread house, fake snow, a candy cane striped pole, and a large chair. Sitting in the chair was Santa Claus. Upon arriving, there was a long line of kids waiting to see Santa.

"It's always great to see a child's face light up when they see Santa," Dylan said, watching the scene of kids sitting on Santa's lap and getting their picture taken with him.

"Definitely," Ice Blaze said, nodding his head in agreement.

All four of them got in the long line. A few feet from where Santa sat was a food court. At a table, two figures, wearing baggy clothing and bandanas around their necks, were viewing the scene of Santa and the group of people with kids waiting to see him.

"Are you ready?" asked the first figure to the second figure.

"Yeah," nodded the second figure. "He's going to pay for short changing us last Christmas."

"That's for sure. He's going to get it big time."

The two figures got up from their seats. They walked toward the large crowd. While walking toward them, the first figure grabbed a chair from a nearby table. He picked it up and threw it at Santa. The chair flew through the air and struck Santa at his side. People screamed and ran away as the two figures pulled out BB guns and aimed it at Santa.

"Dylan, take Lil' Ray Ray somewhere safe," J said.

"Okay," Dylan said as he took Lil' Ray Ray's hand. "Come on."

"C'mon Blaze, let's teach these two not to mess wit' Santa."

Ice Blaze nodded, and they rushed toward the two figures. The two figures saw J and Ice Blaze and went in two different directions. The first figure headed toward a department store at the other end of the mall. The second figure headed upstairs to the second floor.

Ice Blaze chased after the first suspect into the department store. J saw the second suspect running along the second floor. J ran to a pillar closest to the stairs. He jumped and began to climb the pillar. He got close to the stairs and jumped. He grabbed onto the rail and flipped over it, landing on the stairs. He ran up the stairs toward the second floor. He paused for a moment to see where the second figure went to. It didn't take long for him to spot the perpetrator. He ran after the stalker.

Ice Blaze was on all fours, sniffing the ground to find the first figure. He continued his search in the men's clothing section. Unbeknownst to Ice Blaze, the muzzle of a BB gun stuck out from a clothes rack a few away from the crouching white tiger.

"Crouching tiger meets hidden BB," thought the figure from within the clothes rack.

The figure pulled the trigger. A BB came out of the muzzle and struck Ice Blaze in the butt. Ice Blaze's eyes went wide and let out a scream. The figure ran out of the clothes rack and jumped over the white tiger.

"Santa is going to pay for what he owes," cried the figure, running out of the store.

Ice Blaze got back up quickly, while ignoring the pain in his rear, and chased after the figure. The figure ran behind a pillar, but Ice Blaze saw him go behind the pillar.

"You think I'm stupid don't you," said Ice Blaze, running toward the pillar the suspect was hiding behind.

The figure came out from behind the pillar and shot Ice Blaze in the right leg. Ice Blaze fell onto the ground, clutching his right leg and seething in pain. Ice Blaze slowly got back up and charged at the suspect. The suspect fired another shot, but Ice Blaze dodged it and pounced onto the suspect. The suspect screamed as the white tiger pounced on him. He began to struggle, but Ice Blaze used his strength to keep the suspect in one place.

"You're not goin' anywhere buddy boy," Ice Blaze said.

The second figure decided to head back downstairs to help his friend. J saw this, and he jumped over the rail and landed on the first floor unscathed. The second figure saw J and ran in the opposite direction of Ice Blaze and the first figure. J went over to where Santa used to sit and grabbed the garland. He made a lasso out of it. He spun the lasso above his head and released it in the direction of the second figure. The lasso flew through air, and the noose landed on the second figure. J used all the strength he had to reel the figure toward him. He wrapped the rest of the garland around the second figure's body and dragged the body over to Ice Blaze.

The crowd that dispersed throughout the mall applauded when J and Ice Blaze apprehended the two stalkers. Police officers arrived and took the two suspects away.

"Attention mall patrons, due to recent events, Santa won't be able to return," a mall employee said over the speakers.

The sounds of disappointed kids erupted throughout the entire mall, which saddened Dylan. J noticed this.

"Something wrong?"

"It hurts to see all these kids sad because they didn't get a chance to see Santa," Dylan replied sadly.

"I kno'," Ice Blaze said. "It sucks."

"I have an idea," J said.

"Let it be a good idea," Ice Blaze said.

"It is. Come here."

Everyone huddled around J as he whispered his idea to the group.

"Tha's a great idea. Wha' do you think Dylan?" Ice Blaze said.

"I'll be honored to do it. This will be the second time I did this."

"You think it's a good idea Lil' Ray Ray?" asked J, looking at his cousin.

"Yeah," he said.

After talking with the people that ran the mall, Dylan was in the dressing room, putting on a Santa suit. He stuffed himself with a pillow, and he put on the red coat and belt. He picked up the hat and placed it on his head.

"Are you ready Blaze?" Dylan asked, looking at the tiger who is now dressed as an elf.

"Yeah," Ice Blaze said, limping toward the door. "Are you ready Santa?"

"I am. Will your leg be fine?"

"I've been through worse."

Ice Blaze opened the door and let Dylan go out first. Ice Blaze followed Dylan, limping out of the room and closing the door behind him. They headed down the hallway that leads to the mall. Dylan and Ice Blaze made their way over to where Santa sits.

"Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas!" Dylan exclaimed out loud.

The kids heard Santa and stampeded toward Santa. J and Lil' Ray Ray watched from a distance. As J watched the children rush over to get in line to see Santa, he cringed a little. Lil' Ray Ray noticed this.

"Is there somethin' wrong?"

"Jus' watchin' a stampede of people reminds me of some bad experiences back at the Resort."

"How bad could it be?"

"Trust me, it was bad. I'm surprised I haven't gone through shell shock from all those time I've been trampled. C'mon let's go see Santa Claus or rathe' Santa Paws in this case before the line gets any longe'."

Lil' Ray Ray nodded as the two headed over to the increasingly long line to see Santa.

Dylan was already sitting in the chair, with a little boy sitting on his lap. Ice Blaze stood next to the chair, handing candy canes to each child that sat on Santa's lap.

Elsewhere in the city, Melanie, Colleen, and Aunt Charlene are in a grocery store, gathering food for the Christmas dinner. Colleen and Melanie were in the meat section, looking for a turkey. They searched through numerous freezers for a suitable turkey.

"'ow about this one 'ere?" Colleen asked, holding up a turkey.

"Tha' one's perfect," Melanie said as she rolled the shopping cart toward Colleen so that Colleen could place it in the cart.

Just then, Aunt Charlene came out of an aisle with a shopping cart full of canned food. She pushed the cart over to Melanie and Colleen. Melanie and Colleen gawked at the mountain of canned food that was in the cart. In their basket were the turkey, pie crusts, and other groceries.

"Uhh…Aunt Charlene," Melanie looked at her aunt in disbelief. "I think you overdid it wit' the food there."

"No I didn't hun," Aunt Charlene said, shaking her head. She began to push the cart toward the checkout counter.

"I think she put the 'over' in overkill in this dinner," Colleen whispered to Melanie.

"Tha's not the only thing she over killed," Melanie whispered back.

"Come on you two," Aunt Charlene called from the checkout lane.

After they paid for the groceries, they placed them into the trunk of Melanie's vehicle. Melanie got into the driver's seat, Colleen in the front passenger seat, and Aunt Charlene sat behind Melanie. Aunt Charlene's weight caused the car to lean back some. Melanie started the car and shifted the car into drive. Due to the big load in the backseat, Melanie added extra gas for the car to move. The car finally lurched forward and pulled out of the parking lot.

It took them an hour to return back to the Tower. Once Melanie parked the car into the garage, the women got out of the car, and Melanie popped open the trunk. They took the groceries out of the trunk and into the Tower's first floor hallway. After all the groceries were taken out of the car, Melanie closed the trunk and locked the car in the garage. She joined the other two women inside the Tower to haul up the mountain of groceries to the apartment. They went to the elevators and headed toward the top of the Tower.

Once they arrived at the top, they placed all of the groceries in the kitchen. Hunter and Exile came into the kitchen.

"Hey there," Hunter said. "Do you need any help?"

"We sure do 'untie," replied Colleen. "Can you and Exile 'elp us with unpacking the groceries?"

"Sure Colleen."

"Da comrade Colleen," Exile replied, following Hunter into the kitchen to help the women unpack the groceries.

"Thanks," Melanie said.

"No prob," said Hunter.

They began to place the groceries in their respected spots.

A few hours later, J's H2 approached the Tower. J parked the vehicle into the garage and locked the vehicle and garage. Everyone headed inside the Tower. Once they arrived at the apartment, J went into the bathroom to get some headache medicine after that ordeal at the mall. Melanie came into the living room from the kitchen, where she and Aunt Charlene were cooking.

"How was the trip to the mall?"

"A mess," Ice Blaze replied, limping over to the couch and sat on the couch. He placed his right leg on the couch, rolled up the pant leg, and started to rub it.

"Wha' happened to your leg?"

"Someone shot me in the leg wit' a BB gun. Well, at least my butt isn't sore no more."

"You got shot there too?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"What happened?" asked Colleen as she overheard the conversation and entered the living room. She was followed by everyone else.

Once J got out of the bathroom, he and Ice Blaze retold the incident at the mall, and how Dylan became Santa for a day.

"Thank you Dylan for watchin' ove' my baby," Aunt Charlene said, while hugging Lil' Ray Ray.

"You're welcome," replied Dylan.

"Well at least we got those two perpetrators outta the mall before anyone else could get hurt, even though Santa had it bad," Ice Blaze said. "I'm wonderin' 'bout somethin' though."

"Wha' is it?" asked Cousin Leon.

"Well, one of 'em threw a chair at Santa."

"So?" Blitz said. "What's so important about a chair?"

"If someone threw a chair, there would usually be a fight," Ice Blaze replied.

"Hey Aaron McGruder, this isn't Woodcrest," J said, looking at the white tiger.

"Let me get you some ice for that leg of yours guv," Colleen said as she went into the kitchen, trying to avoiding an argument from starting. She went into the pantry and found a plastic shopping bag. She went to the freezer and poured some ice into the plastic bag. She tied it up and went back into the living and handed it to Ice Blaze. "'ere you go."

"Thanks Colleen," Ice Blaze said as he took the ice bag and placed it on his sore leg. He turned his head over towards Melanie. "Hey sis, do you mind if I do the turkey for the dinne'? I mean afte' my leg is bette' tha' is."

"Sure Blaze," Melanie replied.

"Is there anything I can do?" asked Dylan.

"How 'bout the greens?" said Aunt Charlene.

"Sure, I can do that."

"How 'bout me?" asked J.

"You stay outta the kitchen," Melanie said.

"Oh come on. I can make the deviled eggs at least."

"Okay, you can do the eggs."

"I assure you sis tha' I won't botch this up."

"Tha's wha' you said last time when you made tha' peach cobble' for Thanksgivin'," commented Ice Blaze. "It looked like someone lost their lunch from ridin' Space Shot too many times."

J just rolled his eyes and went into the kitchen. In the kitchen, there were numerous pots and pans throughout the kitchen. Some of the pots were sitting on the stove. The oven was already pre-heated for the turkey to be placed in, once Ice Blaze prepares it. The smells of various food attacked J's nose. He went over to the cupboard and pulled out a big pot. He walked over to the sink and ran some water into the pot. After pouring water into the pot, he placed the pot on the stove and turned on the heat. He went to the fridge and picked up a carton of eggs. He placed the eggs in the pot. Melanie and Aunt Charlene came back into the kitchen to continue working on the food. Dylan came into the kitchen as well and began to work on making the greens.

"I see tha' there isn't any smoke comin' from the kitchen," Ice Blaze said.

"Why you say that comrade?" asked Exile.

"Well, when there's smoke, y'kno' tha' J's cookin'."

"Shut up," J called from the kitchen. "Or do you want me to air mail the bird to you?"

"There's no need for tha' since there is a child present."

"Hey, I'm almost a teenage'," said Lil' Ray Ray.

"The word there is almost," said Mama. "When you get to tha' age, you'll be able to have some real fun wit' your girl friend from school."

"Stop encouragin' the boy," said Uncle Sherman.

Everyone else just shook their heads. Ice Blaze finally stood up from the couch and limped over to the kitchen. He made his way to the table, where the turkey was sitting. He grabbed a big bowl from the cupboard and placed it on the table. He used his claws to open the package that contained the turkey. He placed the bird in the bowl. He grabbed the necessary ingredients and applied them to the bird. Once the bird was prepared, he placed the bird into the oven so that it could be cooked overnight. Shag came into the kitchen to make the stuffing.

"Please Shag," said Ice Blaze. "Don't use toilet wate' for the stuffin'."

Shag made an okay sign with his right hand and gathered all the ingredients he needed for the stuffing. Ice Blaze nodded and helped Melanie, Aunt Charlene, and Dylan clean up the kitchen, even though Ice Blaze still had a limp to his walk. Once they were through with the kitchen, they said goodnight to Shag who was still making the stuffing. Shag mumbled his goodnight to them as they left the kitchen.

"Well, see y'all in the mornin'," Melanie yawned as she left the living room to head toward her room.

"Night sis," Ice Blaze said, stretching his arms out. "Might as well hit it too, or I'll fall asleep tomorrow."

"What else is happening tomorrow?" asked Dylan.

"Well, we're doin' a tapin' of the Christmas episode of Whammy. I'm actually the announce', but J is hostin' it."

"I thought tha' show was cancelled," Aunt Charlene said.

"It was, but we convinced CBS to let us revive it wit' some changes."

"What kind of changes?" Dylan asked.

"Well, we went back to the old format because y'kno' tha' old sayin…if it ain't broken, don't fix it. Howeve', we did keep some features from the GSN version. The set is still the same; we jus' moved it to the Carruthers-Roddy-Tomarken Studios, which is in honor of Bill Carruthers, Rod Roddy, n' Peter Tomarken n' located here. Night y'all, see y'all in the mornin'."

Ice Blaze left the living room to go to his room followed by Dylan and Aunt Charlene. Shag finished making the stuffing and placed it in the fridge. He left the kitchen and turned off the lights in the kitchen and the living room. He then headed toward the hallway to go to his room on the second floor.


	6. Are You Lucky?

Chapter 6: Are You Lucky?

The next day, everyone headed out to Paramount Studios to watch the taping of the Christmas episode of Whammy! The All New Press Your Luck. They headed toward Hollywood Avenue, the Hollywood themed area of the park. This area featured numerous attractions based on the entertainment industry. It featured two music themed coasters, Rock n' Roller Coaster featuring Unown and MTV Soundwave. The Tower sat on the border between Hollywood Avenue and Fear Boulevard. At the other end of Hollywood Avenue is The Italian Job Stunt Track, the world's largest attraction. Across from MTV Soundwave were numerous sound stages.

The group headed toward one of the soundstages that had the Whammy logo, which consisted of the word WHAMMY! and a picture of the Whammy next to the word, on the front of the building. Below the logo were gold letters that read CARRUTHERS-RODDY-TOMARKEN STUDIOS. Underneath the letters were glass doors that lead the interior of the building. They went through the doors and entered into the lobby of the soundstage.

"So, who wants to play?" asked J.

"Play what?" asked Blitz.

"Whammy. We need three contestants to play."

"I'll play," volunteered Hunter.

"Count me in comrade," Exile said.

"I'll beat both of you," Blitz said.

"Okay, follow me."

They followed J as he went through a door labeled 'BACKSTAGE'. Ice Blaze led everyone else to the auditorium where it would be taped. Upon entering the auditorium, everyone, with the exception of Melanie and Ice Blaze gazed in amazement at the set up of the auditorium. In the back, where they came in, were seats set up in a tiered level design. Above the seats was the Whammy logo. Next to where the audience sits is the announcer's booth, where Ice Blaze will sit when the taping begins. On the other side of the room was a large steel structure in the shape of an oval that is hovering above the ground a few feet. On the oval were eighteen monitors in a scattered motif pattern. In the center if the oval was large circular screen, with a bit of the lower part cut out for the camera. Behind the oval structure were lights. In between the seats and the game board was the 'contestant island'. Sitting in the middle of the island was a table. On top of the table were three big red buttons, and on either side of the red buttons were two holes. On the front side of the table were three small monitors located in front of each button. Below the small monitors was a larger monitor. At the moment, all the monitors in the auditorium are black. The table is facing toward the left wall. Behind the table are three large angled columns with lights in them. In front of the table is the podium where J will stand during the taping.

There were already a few people sitting in the seats. With the exception of Ice Blaze and Mama, everyone sat in the seats on the front row. Since Mama was in her scooter, she sat in the handicap section. Ice Blaze headed backstage to get ready.

In the green room backstage, Hunter, Exile, and Blitz were being briefed by the contestant coordinator on the rules of the game and see who would get what position at the table. After numerous rounds of rock, paper, scissors, the order was Exile, Blitz, and Hunter. They were each given name tags to put on. J and Ice Blaze came into the green room once the contestant coordinator left. They sat down on the couch across from the couch that Hunter, Exile, and Blitz were sitting on.

"How're y'all feelin'?" asked Ice Blaze.

"I feel great," said Hunter.

"Can't wait to luck press comrades," Exile said with excitement.

"Er…right," J said, nodding his head.

"I can't wait for the world to see a stud like me win. Then all the girls would come flocking to me," Blitz said.

J and Ice Blaze shook their heads. A knock came from the door, and the door opened. The director looked into the room.

"We need you all now. The taping will begin in five minutes," the director said to everyone in the room before leaving again.

"Man, he reminds of Kevin," J said to Ice Blaze.

"I kno'; it's scary," he replied.

"Well let's get this show on the road."

Everyone left the green room. Ice Blaze left the group so that he could take his position in the announcer's booth. J led Hunter, Exile, and Blitz to where they would stand before they entered when the show begins. He stood with them.

"Are you guys ready?" J asked, looking at the three men.

They nodded their heads.

"Okay everyone, quiet on the set," said the director. "We're about to begin taping in 5…4…3…2…"

The theme song began to play as Ice Blaze spoke.

"The game with big bucks and Whammies are back. Bigger and better than ever. It's time to play a Christmas version of Whammy! The All New Press Your Luck! Here are today's players!"

Exile ran out of the backstage area and onto the set with the audience cheering in the background. Exile ran up to the island and stood behind the first position.

"Greetings from Russia! My name is Exile, and I'm here for bucks that are bigski!"

Blitz was next, and he ran up to the second position next to Exile.

"I'm Blitz, the best Rover in the world. I'm here to become the richest Rover in the world."

Hunter used his super speed and stood behind the third position next to Blitz. Numerous people that worked behind the scenes grabbed fire extinguishers to put out the fire trail that Hunter left behind.

"Hey, my name is Hunter, and I'm for big bucks! Yeah!" Hunter said, doing a John Edwards impersonation with the yeah.

"And now, here's the host of Whammy!...J!" announced Ice Blaze.

J came running up to the contestant island and high-fiving each contestant. He stopped and turned around to face the audience and camera.

"Hey everyone," he greeted with a smile. "Welcome to a very special episode of Whammy! Not only is it Christmas, but we also have special guests playin'. We have three of the Road Rovers who are willing to press their luck against the board for big bucks." He then looked at the three contestants. "So, are y'all ready for the question round?"

"You betski," said Exile.

"Yeah," said Blitz.

"Definitely," said Hunter.

In the background, the audience cheered.

"A'ight, let's get down to business first," J said, as he walked over to the podium. "I'm goin' to ask y'all some questions. A correct buzz-in answer gets you three spins. A correct multiple choice answer gets you one spin. You'll take those spins to the giant game board that you see on your right." As J was talking, the game board began to shuffle by switching pictures on the screens. A blue light jumped from screen to screen in a random sequence. "It is loaded wit' wonderful cash n' prizes, but you kno' tha' all good things come to an end. N' tha' comes in the form of a Whammy." The board stopped shuffling, and the blue light changed to a red light when it landed on a monitor that featured a Whammy. "They'll come out here take all your money, leaving you flat broke, n' deposit it into the Big Bank, which I will talk about more late' on. So let's begin wit' the question round." J pulled out some cards with the round one questions on them. "In the sketch comedy series In Living Color, Jim Carrey plays Fire Marshal Bill, a psychotic fire marshal tha' is prone to destroyin' buildings at the end of each sketch. In the Christmas sketch, wha' did Fire Marshal Bill throw into the fireplace tha' destroyed a family's home?"

Hunter buzzed in, and the blue lights in the angled column behind him changed to purple.

"Hunter."

"A grenade," Hunter answered.

"Is the correct answer: a grenade…a landmine…or a stick of dynamite?" J asked. "Exile?"

"Grenade," Exile replied.

"Blitz?"

"Landmine," Blitz replied.

"A grenade tha' was roastin' ove' an open fire," J said as the audience clapped. "Hunter, you go to three." The number zero on Hunter's monitor changed to a three. "Exile, you got a spin." The number zero on Hunter's monitor changed to a one. "Tha' leaves poor Blitz wit' El Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Da." J flipped to the second question. "Speakin' of Jim Carrey, wha' Christmas hatin' characte' did he play in Ron Howard's live action movie based on a story by Dr. Suess?"

Exile buzzed in.

"Exile."

"The Grinch," Exile said.

"Is the correct answe': The Grinch…Scrooge…or The Lorax? Blitz?"

"The Grinch," Blitz said.

"Hunter?"

"The Grinch," Hunter said.

"Well, he's a mean one…Mr. Grinch," J sang as the audience cheered. "Exile, you get three spins takes you to four. Hunter, earn one spin, which ties you wit' Exile at four. Blitz you're finally on the board wit' one spin." J flipped to the third question. "In the movie A Christmas Story, wha' was Ralphie tryin' to convince his parents to get him for Christmas?"

Hunter buzzed in.

"Hunter."

"A BB gun," said Hunter.

"Is the correct answe': a BB gun…tinke' toys…or a football? Exile?"

"BB gun," said Exile.

"Blitz?"

"BB gun," answered Blitz.

"You'll shoot your eye out wit' tha' BB gun Ralphie," J said as the audience cheered in the background. "Hunter, you take the lead wit' seven spins. Exile, you get one spin, which takes you to five. Blitz, you're trailin' wit' two spins." J flipped to the fourth question. "In the movie Christmas Vacation, how much of an increase did Clark receive for his Christmas bonus?"

Hunter, Exile, and Blitz didn't buzz in. After a brief pause, the time's up buzzer went off.

"Oh c'mon guys, we jus' watched it two nights ago. Don't worry, I got the answer choices right here on this card. Is the correct answe': 10%...15%...or 20%? Exile?"

"15%," said Exile.

"Blitz?"

"15%," said Blitz.

"Hunter?"

"15%," said Hunter.

"If I was Clark, I wouldn't pass out at a 15% increase, but he did pass out when he got a 20% increase," J said, while everyone gave a sympathetic 'aah'. J flipped to the last question. "Maybe y'all can redeem yourselves wit' the last question. In A Christmas Story, wha' did Ralphie's fathe' win as a major award?"

Blitz buzzed in.

"Blitz."

"A leg lamp," replied Blitz.

"Is the correct answe': a leg lamp…bowlin' alley…or a new car? Exile?"

"Leg lamp," said Exile.

"Hunter?"

"Leg lamp," said Hunter.

"Well tha' major award was a leg lamp," J said, while the audience. "Blitz, you earned three spins, which takes you to five. Exile, you earned one spin, which takes you to six. Hunter, you also earned a spin, which takes you to eight." He turned his attention to the camera. "Don't change tha' channel 'cause we're goin' to the big board next on Whammy."

The theme played, and J walked onto the rotating platform that the table sat on. The table rotated to face the game board, which began to shuffle. The audience was cheering in the background. J walked over to the three men.

"I can't wait to see wha' happens durin' the big board round," J said, while resting his left arm on the table. "This is goin' to be a great game."

"I can't wait either," Hunter said.

"Me neither comrade," Exile said.

They talked for a few more moments before the director told J that the commercial time is almost up. J left the table and took his spot back on the podium, which was moved during the break. The theme played again, and the audience started to cheer again.

"Welcome back to Whammy," J said to the camera. "We're now at the big board, where Exile, Hunter, n' Blitz will pit the luck against the board n' the Whammy. As you can see…" He gestured toward the shuffling game board. "The big board is loaded wit' cash n' fabulous prizes, n' you stop the board by slappin' tha' button in front of you n' yellin' 'stop'. Like this: STOP!" He pointed to the board as he said that, which stopped the game board. "But you gotta watch out for the dreaded Whammy." The light stopped on a Whammy space, and the blue light that surrounds the monitor turned red. "They'll ruin your holiday cheer by takin' all you cash n' prizes, leavin' you flat broke, n' deposit 'em into the Big Bank. On the flip side, you can whammy the Whammy by landin' on the Big Bank square." The blue light landed on the Big Bank space. "All you have to do is answe' the question correctly, n' you will whammy the Whammy. Let's stock the Big Bank wit' $3,000. The playe' wit' the most money in this round will play last in the final round." He looked at Blitz. "Blitz, since you have the least numbe' of spins, you'll go first. Are you ready to get this game started?"

"Yeah," Blitz said, rubbing his hands together in anticipation. "I'm ready."

"A'ight," J said as he pointed to the board. "Let's put tha' board in motion."

The board began to shuffle. The blue light jumped from one monitor to another in a random pattern as all the monitors shuffled, displaying different spaces. In the circular screen, the audience could watch the player's expression while they were pressing their luck against the big board. Blitz watched the blue light dance along the board.

"STOP!" Blitz cried, while slapping the button.

The board stopped shuffling, and the blue light landed on a cash prize square.

"You start off wit' $1000 Blitz," J said as $1000 was added to Blitz's bank. "Do you wanna pass your remainin' spins or press your luck?"

The audience began to cry out their opinions on what Blitz should do.

"I'm pressing on," Blitz said, which earned cheers from the audience in the background.

The board started to shuffle again as Blitz continued to watch the board in close concentration.

"STOP!"

The board stopped at a prize square.

"A'ight Blitz you landed on a DVD player, which is valued at $399. Tha' brings you up to $1399. Do you wanna pass or press on?"

Blitz pointed toward the board, and the board began to shuffle.

"STOP!"

The blue light landed on a Whammy and changed to red. The lights behind the board turned red as well. A two note sound that was similar to the original Press Your Luck was heard. On the screen, everyone saw a decorated Christmas tree with gifts underneath it that sat in front of Blitz's position at the table. A CGI Whammy walked onto the scene.

"O Christmas tree. O Christmas tree…," sang the Whammy as he danced around the tree before the tree fell on top of him, causing Blitz's winnings to disappear from the monitor. A Whammy pop-up came out of the first hole with a spring sound effect.

"O how it fell on top of you," J finished. "Blitz, tha' was your first Whammy. Three more n' you're out of the game. Your winnings now go into the Big Bank. The new total is now $4399." The sound of a cash register ringing was heard as J announced the new Big Bank total. "Blitz, you now have three spins left. Wha' do you wanna do?"

The audience cried out for him to keep on pressing his luck. Blitz pointed at the board again, and everyone cheered as the board began to shuffle again.

"STOP!"

"Big Bucks…" The blue light jumped to the monitor at the top of the game board to the $1500 space. "You got $1500. You have two spins left. Do you wanna pass or press your luck?"

"I'm pressing on," Blitz said, pointing toward the board.

The board started to shuffle again.

"STOP!"

The light landed on the BIG BANK space. The lights behind the board flashed. The audience cheered and clapped.

"Big Bank!" cried J with excitement as he pulled out a card. "Okay Blitz, for you to get the Big Bank n' whammy the Whammy, you have to answe' this question. In the Chipmunk's Song, wha' toy did Alvin want?"

Music played in the background while Blitz thought about the answer.

"A plane," Blitz replied.

"The correct answe' is…a hula hoop," J said as the audience moaned. "The Big Bank stays as it is. Blitz, you have one more spin. So wha' do you wanna do?"

"I'll pass," Blitz said.

"Who do you wanna pass the spin to?"

"Hunter."

Blitz's earned spin goes to Hunter's passed column on his monitor.

"A'ight, Exile," J said, looking at the husky. "We now come to you. Are you ready to press your luck?"

"You betski comrade," Exile said.

"Let's put the big board in motion."

Exile placed his right hand above the button as the board began to shuffle through different spaces. Exile watched the board.

"Bucks bigski…c'mon bucks bigski…STOP!"

"You stopped at $750 n' a spin," J said. "Do you wanna pass or press your luck?"

"I'll keep going."

The board started to shuffle. The audience was cheering Exile on, and Exile was clapping and chanting another mantra.

"Whammy, Whammy stay away…come back again another day…Whammy, Whammy stay away…come back again another day…STOP!"

"$1500. Tha' brings your total up to…$2250. You're now in first place. Wha' do you wanna do?"

The audience cheered for Exile to continue.

"I might as well continue comrade." Exile watched and clapped as the board shuffled. "STOP!"

"You stopped at a LCD TV. Tha's worth…$1599. Tha' brings your total up to…$3849. Exile, you have four spins left, so do you wanna press your luck or pass your spins to Blitz?"

Exile motioned to keep on going with a wave of his hand. He moved his hands over the button, while the board shuffled. The audience was again cheered for Exile.

"More money, more money, more money…STOP!"

"Big Bucks! You got $1000. Tha' brings your total now to…$4849. Do you wanna press or pass?"

Some of the audience is cheering for Exile to continue, while others are cheering for him to pass the remaining spins.

"I'll pass."

"Okay Blitz, Exile's spins go to your passed column. You have to play all three spins. Let's start wit' the first one."

The board started to shuffle as Blitz placed his hands over the button. Everyone in the audience cheered for Blitz, while he took his spin.

"STOP!"

"Move back two spaces to…," J began as the light moved to the left two spaces. "Hawaii. The trip is valued at…$2386, which brings your total up to…$3886. You're still in second place. You still have two passed spins to play wit'. Here we go again."

The board shuffled again, and the audience cheered Blitz on.

"STOP!"

"$2000 plus a spin. You're up to $5886, n' you're in first place. Tha' additional spin goes to your earned column. Here's your final passed spin."

The board shuffled again, with the audience cheering for Blitz in the background.

"STOP!"

The light landed on a Whammy space. The lights behind the board turned red. The music to the Nutcracker filled the air. On screen, a Whammy dressed as a nutcracker danced in front of Blitz, but the Whammy tripped and fell off the table, taking the money with him. The audience moaned, when Blitz lost his winnings to the Whammy. Another Whammy popped up from the second hole, which was followed by a spring sound effect.

"Well Blitz…the Whammy danced his way to the hospital n' takin' your winnings to pay for his bills. Your winnings now go into the Big Bank, which is now…$10,285. The good news is you still have one spin in your earn column. Do you wanna press or pass? But I must warn you of gettin' anothe' Whammy in this round."

"I'll press," Blitz said, pointing to the board with determination in his eyes. He watched the board intently as it shuffled through cash, prizes, and Whammy spaces. "STOP!"

"$1000. You're now in second place Blitz," J said before turning his attention to Hunter. "A'ight Hunter, you have one spin tha' you have to take. Are you ready?"

"Let's do this!" Hunter cried with excitement.

"Here's your passed spin," J said before pointing to the board. "Spin it."

The board shuffled through different spaces. The audience cheered Hunter on, but Colleen was cheering the loudest. Hunter clapped and started his own mantra.

"No Whammies! No Whammies! No Whammies…STOP!"

"An MP3 playe' which is valued at…$499. You're still in third place Hunter. Let's talk 'bout your earned spins now. Wha' do you wanna do? Press or pass?"

"Let's go!" Hunter shouted, pointing toward the board. "C'mon Big Bucks! I want Big Bucks! STOP!"

"Big Bucks! $1500! Whoa…talk 'bout your Karen moment," J laughed. "Tha' brings your total up to…$1999. You're now in second place. Press or pass?"

"I'm pressing. Let's go big bucks! No Whammies! STOP!

"$740. Tha' brings your total up to…$2739. You have six spins left. Wha're you goin' to do wit' those spins?"

"I'm feeling super lucky today, so I'm going to press my luck. C'mon big bucks! Keep the Whammies at bay! Keep the Whammies at bay! STOP!"

"$500. You're total is up to…$3239. You're still in second place by 'bout $1600. Are you goin' to pass or press your luck?"

"I'm sorry Exile, but I'm going to pass my spins over to you buddy," Hunter said, making a shoving motion as if shoving his earned spins over to Exile.

"Okay Exile, Hunter passed you five spins tha' you have to play wit'. Let's start wit' the first one."

"Bay Whammies! Bay Whammies…STOP!"

The light landed on a Whammy space and changed from blue to red, while the lights behind to board changed to red as well. A Whammy dressed as Santa was driving a sleigh, which was pulled by a CGI version of Fang the dog, who wore reindeer antlers.

"On Monthly Payment! On Repo! On Higher Interest Rates! On Fang! Now take away! Take away! Take away all! Hehehe!" the Santa Whammy cried as he took off with Exile's winnings.

"Well Exile, it seems like Whammy Claus dashed away wit' your winnings n' deposited into the Big Bank which is up to…$15,134. All those passed spins now go into your earned column. So do you wanna press or pass Exile?"

"Keep going."

"A'ight, here we go."

The board started to shuffle, and the audience cheered Exile on.

"Big Buckski! Big Bucksi! STOP!"

"$250. You're in third place. Spin or pass?"

"Spin again. Whammy no more! Whammy no more…STOP!"

"$1250. You're in now second place wit' a total of $1500. You have three spins left. Are you gonna pass or press your luck?"

"I'll go. C'mon more money…STOP!"

"$1000. Tha' brings your total up to $2250. Two spins left. Wha're you goin' to do?"

"I'll pass to comrade Hunter."

"Okay Hunter, you have to play wit' the two spins tha' Exile passed to you. Are you ready?"

"Oh yeah," Hunter said as he clapped and rubbed his hands together in eagerness. "Alright I need some big bucks…STOP!"

"$1500. You're up to $4739. Here is your last spin."

"Big money! Big Money…STOP!"

"$350. Tha' brings your total to…$5089." J then looked at the camera as the theme song played and the audience cheered. "A'ight, at the end of this round, Blitz has $1000 n' two whammies. Exile has $2250 n' a whammy. Hunter has $5089 n' no whammies, plus he'll go last in the final round. Stay right there as we'll be back for the second question round right here on Whammy!"

J walked onto the rotating platform again as it rotated into its question round position. The game board was still shuffling as the audience cheered and the music played.

"Man, wha' a first board round," J said as he placed his left arm on the table and shook his head.

"It takes a lot out of you doesn't it?" asked Hunter.

"A bit, but don't worry. It takes more than tha' to take me down. I'm glad for commercial breaks n' the question round. The big board rounds will tire one out 'cause of all of the excitement tha' goes on durin' those rounds."

"I see comrade," Exile said.

"One time, I nearly passed out from all the excitement of the final big board round. It was a tight spin battle between two players. In the end, the champion won the game, n' I slumped ove' the podium, but I pushed myself up. I shook my head n' smiled. It was one crazy thrill ride tha' no ride manufacture' can recreate, not even us."

J walked back over to his spot on the podium, which was once again moved during the break. The theme song was played again, and the audience clapped and cheered. J looked at the camera.

"Hey everyone, welcome back to Whammy! We're 'bout to go into the second question round now. The rules are the same as the first question round," J said as he pulled out the round two questions. "Let's get started. Damon Wayans plays Homey D. Clown, a clown tha' has a grudge against The Man. In the Christmas sketch, wha' Christmas song did he sing before goin' into his trademark rant?"

Hunter buzzed in.

"Hunter."

"Silent Night," Hunter said.

"Is the correct answe': Silent Night…Jingle Bells…or Frosty the Snowman? Exile?"

"Silent Night," Exile said.

"Blitz?"

"Silent Night," Blitz said.

"Well, Homey's night wasn't silent when the cop shined tha' light in his face. Hunter, you go to three. Exile, you go to one, n' Blitz you go to one as well." The audience clapped, and J flipped to the next question. "The movie A Christmas Story takes place in Indiana, but in reality, the film was made in Ohio. In wha' Ohio city was the movie filmed in?"

No one buzzed in. The times up buzzer went off.

"Here lemme help y'all wit' this one. Is the correct answe': Cincinnati…Cleveland…or Columbus? Exile?"

"Columbus," Exile said with uncertainty in his voice.

"Blitz?"

"Cincinnati," Blitz said.

"Hunter?"

"I'll say Columbus," Hunter said, who is unsure of his answer.

"Even though film took place in Indiana, the filmin' took place in Cleveland Ohio." The audience moaned again. "Hey, you learn things on this show. I didn't even kno' tha' until I read it. Well, no one got any spins at tha'. Hopefully, you'll do bette' on this one." He flipped to the third question. "A Charlie Brown Christmas is one of the most popular n' one of the oldest Christmas specials on TV. In wha' year did it debut?"

Again, no one buzzed, and the times up buzzer sounded.

"Lemme help y'all again. Is the correct answe': 1965…1966…or 1967? Exile?"

"I'll say…1965," Exile said.

"Blitz?"

"1967," Blitz said.

"Hunter?"

"I'll go with Exile and say 1965," Hunter said.

"Oh good grief…" J said, lowering his head. Everyone was about to moan, but J lifted his head back up, but he was smiling. "A Charlie Brown Christmas debuted in 1965." The audience cheered. "Hunter, you get one spin, which takes you to four. Exile, you get one spin, which takes you to two. Blitz, you're not so hot at the moment wit' only one spin. Don't worry; we still got two more questions." He flipped to the fourth question. "In Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, wha' article of clothin' was Kevin tryin' to get out of the bathroom, while Uncle Frank was in the showe'?"

Blitz buzzed in.

"Blitz."

"A neck tie," Blitz said confidently.

"Is the correct answe': a neck tie, a dress shirt, or a pair of socks?" Exile?"

"Neck tie," Exile said.

"Hunter?"

"Neck tie," Hunter said.

"Well, Kevin was so nosy tha' he recorded his uncle's singin', while tryin' to get his neck tie," J said. Everyone clapped and cheered. "Blitz, you earned three spins, which takes you to four. Exile, you earned one spin, which takes you to three. Hunter, you earned a spin, which takes you to five." He flipped to the final question. "A'ight gang; here's the final question. In National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, wha' pet did Aunt Bethany wrap up in a box n' got electrocuted by set of Christmas lights?"

Exile buzzed in.

"Exile."

"A cat," Exile said with a smile.

In the announcer's booth, Ice Blaze rolled his eyes and mouthed, "Dogs."

"Is the correct answe': a cat…a dog…or a hamster? Blitz?"

"A cat," Blitz said, while trying to hold in his laughter.

"Hunter?"

"Definitely a cat," Hunter said.

"In the words of Cousin Eddie: 'Tha' thing had nine lives. She jus' spent 'em all.' It was a cat." Everyone cheered, even Ice Blaze, who just shook his head. The song began to play. "Okay, at the end of this round, Exile received three spins, which takes him to six. Blitz got a spin, which takes him to five. Hunter, you got a spin, which takes you to six." J looked at the camera. "Stay right there 'cause we'll be back for the final round right here on Whammy!" J walked up to the rotating platform and stood next to the table as it rotated to face the board, while everyone in the audience cheered and clapped.

J walked off the platform and headed toward the announcer's booth, where Ice Blaze was sitting.

"Blaze, blame the writers for tha' last question," J said.

"Now I wish the strike wasn't ove'," Ice Blaze said.

"Then the quality of television goes down the drain."

"It already did when reality shows graced the screen."

"Good point." J turned around. "I'm goin' to head back to my spot now. See ya afte' the tapin'."

Ice Blaze nodded his head as J went back over to his podium. Hunter motioned for J. J walked up to the table and went over to Hunter.

"Is Blaze going to be okay?" Hunter asked with concern in his voice.

"Yeah, he is. I told him to blame the writers. They wrote those questions out, n' I only see 'em when I read 'em to the players."

Hunter nodded his head, and J walked back to his spot on the podium. Just as J made it to his spot on the podium, the theme song played. Everyone started to clap and cheer. J faced the camera.

"Welcome back to Whammy! We're now at the final round of the game. Let's recap the scores. Blitz, you have $1000 n' two Whammies. Exile, you have $2250 n' a Whammy. Hunter, you $5089, n' since you're in first place, you'll go last in this round. The Big Bank is at $15,134. Okay, the big board is now loaded wit' even bigge' cash n' prizes. As things get bigge', so does the trouble, which comes in the form of the Double Whammy." The blue light landed on a Double Whammy space, and the blue light changed to red, with the lights behind the board changing to red too. "The Double Whammy not only takes all your winnings, but they'll come out here n' mess you up some. Blitz n' Exile, you two gotta watch out since both of you already felt the Whammy's wrath." He looked at Blitz. "Blitz, since you're in third place, you'll go first. Are you ready?"

"Oh I'm ready for that board this time," Blitz said, staring down the board.

"We'll see 'bout tha' Blitz. Let's put tha' board in motion."

Everyone began to cheer Blitz on as he faced off against the shuffling game board. This time around, the squares shuffled in three groups of six. Each group changed at different times, and each group is different each time, resulting in a totally random game board.

"STOP!"

"$1500. You're now up to $2500, which puts you in second place. Are you goin' to press your luck or pass?"

The audience shouted for Blitz to press his luck.

"I'll press on." He watched the board shuffle. "I need money to impress a pretty girlie dog…STOP!"

The blue light landed on a Double Whammy and changed to red. The lights behind the board changed to red too. On the screen, a Christmas tree was in front of Blitz's position. There were presents underneath the tree. The Whammy was placing candles on the tree. Above the tree was a smoke detector. One of the flames from the candles burnt a branch, spreading a fire to the top of the tree. The smoke detector went off, alerting the Whammy. The Whammy went off screen and came back a moment later with a water hose to spray down the tree. As the Whammy sprayed the tree, a water nozzle that was built into the table sprayed Blitz in his face. Everyone, including Hunter and Exile, laughed when Blitz got sprayed with water. He lost all of his winnings.

"It seems tha' Whammy is goin' to pay for all tha' fire damage wit' your winnings Blitz," laughed J. "All you winnings now go into the Big Bank, which is now at…$17,634. Blitz…you bette' be careful now 'cause you jus' received your third Whammy. One more, n' you're out of the game. Wha're you goin' to do?"

Some of the audience cheered for Blitz to keep on, while others pressured the doberman to pass his spins. Blitz took a moment to consider his situation.

"If I pass, who gets them?" Blitz asked, looking at J.

"Hunter would."

After thinking a bit more, Blitz motioned to keep on playing. Some of the audience moaned their disapproval, while others cheered Blitz on as the board started to shuffle.

"STOP!"

The blue light landed on a Whammy space. On the circular screen, Whammy Claus was in a sleigh that was being pulled by Fang.

"Merry Christmas to me and to you a good night. Hehehe!" Whammy Claus said as Fang dragged the sleigh across Blitz's monitor.

The final Whammy popped up from the fourth hole, and on Blitz's monitor, a Whammy appeared, giving Blitz a raspberry. The audience made sympathetic noises when Blitz received his fourth Whammy.

"I'm sorry Blitz, but tha' was your fourth n' final Whammy. You're now out of the game," J said, looking at a not so pleased doberman. He turned his attention to Exile. "A'ight Exile; you got six spins to play wit'. Are you ready for your first spin?"

"You betski," Exile said, clapping as the board shuffled. "More bucks! More bucks! More bucks…STOP!"

"$5000 n' a spin! Tha' takes you to first place wit'…$7250. You still have six spins. Wha' do you wanna do?"

Exile turned around to face the audience to see what they would like him to do. They cheered for him to press his luck.

"I'll keep going. No Whammies! No Whammies! No Whammies…STOP!"

"A trip to Spain, which is valued at $2379. Tha' brings your total up to…$9629. You have five spins left. Wha' do you wanna do?"

"One more time," Exile said as he pointed to the game board, which started to shuffle. "Okay…new shoes for daddy! New shoes for daddy…STOP!"

"A car, which is valued at $9835. Tha' brings your total up to…$19,464. Are you goin' to press or pass?"

"Uhh…I'll…go one more time," Exile said, but the audience in the background moaned at his decision. "Be gone Whammy! Be gone Whammy! Be gone Whammy…STOP!"

The blue light landed on a Double Whammy space and turned red. The lights behind the board changed to red too. On the circular screen, a snowy halfpipe was placed in front of Exile's position. A Whammy on a snowboard was riding the half-pipe before flying off screen, taking Exile's winnings with him. Fake snow fell from the ceiling and landed on Exile. A second Whammy popped up from the second hole.

"Exile, tha' was your second Whammy, n' all your winnings now go into the Big Bank, which is now up to…$37,098. You have three spins left. Wha're you goin' to do?"

"I'll go…Big Buckski! Big Buckski! Big Buckski…STOP!"

"$2500. You're 'bout $2500 away from Hunter, n' you got two spins left. Are you goin' to press or pass?"

The audience cheered for Exile to keep on going.

"I'll press on…No more Whammies! No more Whammies! No more…STOP!"

"$3000 n' a spin. You're now up to $5500. You're in the lead by 'bout $500. Two spins left. Are you goin' to press or pass?"

"I'll go one more…One more time! One more! No Whammies…STOP!"

"$2000 or lose a Whammy. Which one do you want?"

"$2000."

"A'ight…tha' takes you to $7500. You have one spin left. Wha're you goin' to do?"

"I'll pass to comrade Hunter."

Exile's earned spin goes to Hunter's passed spin column. J turned his attention to Hunter.

"Okay Hunter, Exile passed his last spin ove' to you, n' you have to play wit' it before we can get to your six spins. Are you ready?"

"Oh yeah…No Whammies! No Whammies! No Whammies…STOP!"

The blue light landed on a Whammy space. On the circular screen, a Whammy was dressed as a caroler. In the Whammy's hands is a Christmas carol book. He started to sing as the snow fell from the sky.

"I wish me a Merry Christmas. I wish me a Merry Christmas. I wish…" the Whammy sang before getting hit in the face by a snowball.

All of Hunter's winnings disappeared off his monitor. A Whammy popped up from the first hole.

"Well, so much for bein' supe' lucky. All your winnings go into the Big Bank, which is now up to…$42,187. Let's talk 'bout your six spins. Do you wanna pass those spins to Exile or press your luck?"

"I'm going to press my luck," Hunter replied, pumping his fist in the air. Everyone cheered as Hunter focused on the game board. "Alright, I already have one Whammy, and I don't want anymore! C'mon big bucks! STOP!"

"New York City. Tha' trip to New York is valued at $3299. You're behind Exile by 'bout $4300. Do you wanna pass or press your luck?"

"Let's press it! C'mon big bucks! Big bucks! Big bucks…STOP!"

"$2500. Tha' brings your total up to…$5799. You have four spins left. Pass or press?"

"I'll press on! No Whammies! No Whammies! No Whammies…STOP!"

"$700. Tha' brings your total up to…$6499. Are you goin' to press your luck or pass?"

Hunter looked at the crowd behind him. They cheered for him to press his luck and take the lead.

"Well…I'll go with the audience and press my luck. Big money! No Whammies! STOP!

"$2000. Tha' brings your total up to…$8499. You're now in the lead. Do you wanna pass your remainin' two spins to Exile or press your luck?"

"I'll go one more time. Alright big bucks…STOP!"

"$1000. You're up to $9499. You have one spin left. Wha're you goin' to do?"

"I'll pass it to Exile."

Hunter's last spin goes to Exile's passed column.

"A'ight…the spin tha' could decide the game. Who is goin' to win? Exile or Hunter. We're 'bout to find out. Ready Exile?"

"Da comrade."

"Here we go."

The game board started to shuffle again. In the circular screen, Exile and Hunter's face were shown. The entire auditorium filled up with an uproar of cheers.

"Big buckski! Big Buckski! No Whammies…STOP!"

"$3000 n' a spin! Tha' brings you up to…$10,500. You're now in first place. Tha' spin goes into your earned column. Wha're you goin' to do?"

"I'll pass it to Hunter."

Exile's earned spin goes to Hunter's passed column. The audience cheered on as the spin battle began.

"Okay Hunter, here we go wit' your passed spin."

"C'mon big bucks! Big bucks…STOP!"

"$1000…it's not enough. Exile! You won by one dollar! Here's Ice Blaze to tell you wha' you've won!

"Exile!" Ice Blaze said with excitement. "You won $10,500 in cash!"

"Comrade J," Exile said, looking at J. "I would like to split my winnings with comrades Hunter and Blitz."

"You sure 'bout tha'?" asked J.

Exile nodded his head in confirmation.

"You heard it gang. Exile is splittin' his winnings wit' Hunter n' Blitz. An excellent example of good sportsman ship n' the Christmas Spirit. All three of you will get $3500."

J walked up to the table. The Whammy came out as well, wearing a Santa hat. The Whammy gave Hunter, Exile, Blitz, and J a Santa hat. They put the hats on their heads. The blue lights that surround the monitors on the board flashed. Fake snow came down from the ceiling.

"Well tha's it everyone. From everyone here at Whammy…we hope y'all have a Merry Christmas n' a Happy New Year. See y'all next year. Right here on Whammy!"

Instead of the theme song being played, everyone sang _We Wish You a Merry Christmas_. After the song was finished, the director stopped the taping. The audience got out of their seats and began to exit the auditorium so that they could enjoy the rest of the park. Hunter, Exile, and Blitz headed backstage, while J and Ice Blaze joined the rest of the Rovers and their family.

"Man, I'm tired," J said as he sat down in a chair. "All of tha' high energetic excitement takes it outta you."

"Will you be okay?" Colleen asked.

"Oh yeah…" J yawned a bit. "I jus' need a quick sit down, n' I'll be fine."

"As long as you're fine hun," Aunt Charlene said.

"It happens all the time," Ice Blaze said.

A few minutes later, Hunter, Exile, and Blitz came out from backstage and joined everyone else.

"Tha' was very nice of you Exile," Melanie said to the husky.

"Yeah," said Dylan. "You truly have a big heart."

Everyone left the studio and out into the park. They walked back to Hollywood Avenue toward the Tower. When they got to the Tower, they entered through the gift shop and headed toward the unloading area of the attraction. Before getting to the unloading area, Melanie opened the door to the hidden passageway the leads to the back entrance hallway to the apartment. Melanie stepped aside to let Mama enter the passageway first before everyone else went in. After everyone entered the passageway, Melanie closed the door behind her. Ice Blaze moved to the front so that he could open up the door at the end of the passageway. He opened the door, and everyone came out into the back hallway. He closed the door and followed everyone else as they made their way toward the elevators. They all got into different elevators and headed to the top.


	7. Dinner and Christmas Morning

Chapter 7: Dinner and Christmas Morning

That evening, Aunt Charlene, Melanie, Colleen, Hunter, Dylan, Shag, and Ice Blaze were gettings things ready for the Christmas dinner. Colleen and Hunter were setting up the table in the kitchen with plates, napkins, utensils, and glasses. They left enough space in the center of the table for all of the food. Ice Blaze took the juicy golden brown turkey out of the aluminum pan and placed it on a plate. He went over to a drawer and took out a knife so that he could carve the turkey into small slices. Dylan was at the stove, finishing up the gravy. Aunt Charlene and Melanie took the already prepared dishes out of the fridge and heated them in the microwave. Once they were heated, Shag took the dishes and placed them on the table. After Ice Blaze finished slicing the turkey, he helped Shag with placing the dishes on the table. Dylan also helped when he finished the gravy. Once the dinner was set, Melanie called everyone that dinner was ready.

Everyone came into the kitchen and took a seat around the table, with the exception of Mama, who is sitting in her scooter.

"Dylan, do you mind sayin' grace?" Melanie asked, looking at Dylan.

"Not at all," Dylan replied. "Will everyone please bow their heads in a word of prayer?" Everyone lowered their heads and closed their eyes as Dylan began to say grace. "Dear God, we are gathered here together, during this wonderful time to celebrate the birth of your wonderful son Jesus, who came here to sacrifice his life for our sins. We thank you for the food that is placed on this table, the family and friends that are here to celebrate this joyous occasion together, and this season of giving. Let us not forget the true reason we celebrate Christmas: the birth of your son Jesus. In Jesus name…Amen."

"Amen," everyone chorused, raising their heads.

They grabbed their utensils and began to place food on their plates. The clattering sound of utensils meeting the plates resounded through the air of the kitchen.

"Man, all this food tastes great," Hunter said.

"I agree 'untie Wuntie," Colleen said, while taking a bite of turkey.

"Yeah, but it's full of calories n' fats," said Cousin Leon as he pulled the skin off his slice of turkey.

"Oh c'mon cuz, it's Christmas," Ice Blaze said. "Don't worry 'bout all tha'. Everyone gains a lil' weight durin' the holidays."

"Except for Sherman who puts on more weight each day," added Mama.

"I'm ready to stuff tha' old bird n' hang her ove' the fireplace," Uncle Sherman said, pointing a fork at Mama.

"Sherman!" Aunt Charlene cried, slamming her fork on the table. "Stop talkin' to Mama like tha' n' show her some respect."

"Oh I'll respect her when her energizers run out 'cause she keeps goin' n' goin' n' goin'."

"Sherman, you bette' watch yourself," Mama said. "Or I'll plug up your butt wit' a turkey leg."

"Y'kno' how I would unplug it?"

Melanie and Aunt Charlene eyes went wide, earning confused expressions from the Rovers.

"Sherman! Don't you dare!" cried Aunt Charlene.

Uncle Sherman lifted his right side of his body and forced the gas out through his rear end. Cousin Ray Ray, Lil' Ray Ray, J, and Ice Blaze started to bust out laughing.

"Sherman! Don't ruin this dinne' by bringin' in your gas!"

"Well tha' old meat bag started it!" Uncle Sherman exclaimed before forcing out more gas.

Cousin Leon and the Rovers were holding their noses as the stench filled the air. Lil' Ray Ray ate a piece of ham while laughing, but he started to choke on the piece of food. He started to cough, and the chewed up ham came out, grossing out Colleen, Exile, and Blitz.

"Look wha' your gas did to my poor baby," Aunt Charlene said as she started to rub the back of Lil' Ray Ray, who started to laugh again.

"You do want my butt to be plugged huh?"

"I didn't say your butt needed to be plugged," Aunt Charlene said defensively. "All I said was tha' your gas is ruinin' this dinne'."

"Well you kno' wha'? I'll do wha'eve' I want at this table. Case in point…" Uncle Sherman forced out another one.

"Wha' do you want walkin' stink bomb?" Mama asked.

"Leave me alone, or I'll turn this kitchen into a gas chambe'." Uncle Sherman's next gas caused Blitz and Muzzle to pass out.

"Okay Sherman, I hope you have a flat wit' all tha' gas your leakin' out of your butt," Aunt Charlene said, raising her hands up in the air, signaling that she gives up.

Uncle Sherman ripped another, causing Cousin Ray Ray to laugh louder. Ice Blaze decided to join the fun by forcing one out too. Melanie looked at the white tiger with a disgusted look on her face.

"Blaze!" she cried out.

"Hey, you only live once," he replied as he forced another one out.

Just then Ice Blaze and Uncle Sherman forced the gas out of their bodies a little too hard, and two wet sounds were heard throughout the kitchen.

"See wha' y'all made us do?" Uncle Sherman exclaimed as he got up from his seat.

"Yeah…you n' Blaze jus' made fresh fudge," J laughed.

Everyone else quickly got up and left the kitchen because they just lost their appetites after the incident. Ice Blaze and Uncle Sherman ran to their rooms in an odd manner so that they could get some clean pants and underwear.

That evening, all of the lights in the Tower were off, with the exception of the Christmas tree in the living room. In the dark hallway, a tall figure was making its way into the living room, carrying packages. The figure walked into the living room. The light from the Christmas tree revealed the figure to be Ice Blaze in his pajamas, without his robe on and barefooted. He walked over to the tree and placed all the presents he wrapped on the floor. He got down on his knees and started to put the gifts underneath the tree. While he was placing the gifts underneath the tree, his curiosity got the best of him, and he decided to look through the gifts from everyone else to see which presents were his.

The sound of footsteps caused the white tiger to crawl out of the tree and look in the direction of the footsteps. The owner of the footsteps came into the living, also carrying presents to the tree. The figure placed the gifts on the couch and heaved a sigh of relief. The figure was Dylan, and he didn't notice Ice Blaze near the tree.

"Need any help there?" Ice Blaze asked from the floor.

Dylan jumped and placed a hand over his heart. He looked down and finally saw Ice Blaze.

"You scared me there Blaze."

"Sorry 'bout tha'," Ice Blaze as he stood up and walked over to Dylan. "Do you need any help?"

Dylan shook his head. "Nah, I got this." He started to place his gifts underneath the tree. "You were doing the same thing weren't you?"

"Yeah, I finished wrappin' 'em up a few minutes ago," Ice Blaze said, while stretching. "Well…I'll be hittin' the sack now. See you in a few. Merry Christmas Dyl." He started to leave the living room so that he could go to his room to sleep.

"Merry Christmas Blaze," Dylan said as he continued to place the remaining gifts under the tree. Once he was through, he got up and went back upstairs to his room.

It was Christmas morning, and the Tower was quiet. Outside, the snow continued to fall gracefully from the sky, adding another layer of white splendor to the ground. Inside the Tower, Melanie got up from her bed and stretched. She opened the door to her bedroom and stepped out into the hallway. She headed to the door on her left, which was Ice Blaze's room, and knocked on the door. Inside the room, the white tiger was curled up underneath the sheets and blankets. The knock from the door caused him to stir for a brief moment, but he just groaned and covered his head with the sheets and blankets as the knocking continued on the door. Finally, Ice Blaze groggily got up from the bed and staggered over to the door. He cracked the door open and saw Melanie on the other side. He opened the door a little wider and looked at his sister tiredly. He hid a yawn behind the back of his right hand.

"Mornin' sis," Ice Blaze said tiredly.

"Merry Christmas Blaze," Melanie greeted her brother. "It's time to open presents." She left him standing at the door as she went upstairs to wake up their relatives and guests.

It took a moment before it registered in the tiger's tired mind that today was Christmas. He turned around quickly and snatched his robe off his desk chair, putting it on and tying it. He ran out of the door and passed Melanie on the steps as she was making her way up to the second floor. He stopped at the top and took a deep breath.

"HEY, HEY, HEY! WE GET TO OPEN GIFTS TODAY!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

He turned on his heels and ran back downstairs, passing Melanie again on the way down. She just shook her as she watched the felosapien, running down the steps to the first floor. Everyone came out of their rooms in a tired state. Colleen walked over to Melanie.

"Who interrupted my beauty sleep?" she asked as she failed to stifle a yawn.

"Sorry Colleen," Melanie apologized. "I woke up Blaze, who woke up everyone else. This is his first Christmas as a felosapien, so I can understand his excitement." She started to go down the stairs. "C'mon let's go downstairs."

Ice Blaze stopped in front of J's room and opened the door to the room. He stepped inside and walked over to J's sleeping form that is underneath the tangled covers of the sheets and blankets. Ice Blaze placed a hand on J's shoulder and gently pushed on it. This caused J to stir. He opened an eye slowly and saw Ice Blaze standing next to his bed. J tried to get up into a sitting position, but the sheets and blankets had a strong hold on him. He squirmed and kicked until he was finally free from his cocoon.

"Merry Christmas Blaze," J said groggily as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.

"Merry Christmas bro," Ice Blaze said. "We're openin' presents now."

"I'll be there in a moment."

Ice Blaze nodded his head and left the room so that he can join the others, who were now coming downstairs and heading to the living room. J swung his legs over to the side of the bed. He got out off the bed and stretched. He walked out of the bedroom and headed into the living, where there were sounds of talking, laughing, and sounds of presents being opened. He walked into the living room and sat on the floor next to Melanie. He greeted everyone, and they greeted him back. He crawled over to the tree and grabbed a present and started to open it. In the background, Christmas music was heard from a stereo as everyone continued to open gifts from others and having a good time.

Uncle Sherman handed Mama a box that was wrapped in bright colored wrapping paper. Mama tore off the wrapping paper of Uncle Sherman's gift, which was a box of rat poison, but the word 'rat' was scribbled out and was replaced by the words 'old hag' in black marker.

"Sherman," Mama said as she turned her head to look at Sherman. "This is the most thoughtful gift eve'."

Everyone looked at Mama with confused looks on their faces.

"Huh?" everyone else said, while staring at Mama.

"Care to explain?" Cousin Leon asked, looking at his grandmother.

"If Sherman eve' gets into my britches again, I can shove this down his blow hole."

"Which one?" J asked.

"J!" Melanie and Aunt Charlene cried out, turning their attention to J.

"Wha'? It was jus' an honest question. I understand the mouth, but if you planted those things up where the sun doesn't shine, his gas will shoot 'em back out like a sub machine gun."

"Say hello to my crappy friends," Ice Blaze laughed as he made machine gun noises with his mouth.

Everyone but Melanie, Aunt Charlene, and Uncle Sherman were laughing.

"Blaze!" Melanie cried.

"You bette' watch yourself tiger boy, or I'll skin your fur n' make a tiger skin rug for the den," Uncle Sherman threatened the white tiger, while shaking his right fist at him.

"You do, n' I'll make you white' than Michael Jackson," Ice Blaze shot back, raising his right fist at his uncle.

"Hey Robin Harris, this ain't the early 90s," J said as he looked at Ice Blaze.

"J was right about them being a dysfunctional family," Dylan whispered to Hunter.

"Yeah, I kno', n' they make the Jacksons look like the Cleavers," Hunter whispered back.

"Now there's your comedy," Colleen whispered as she tried to suppress a giggle, while still watching the family comedy hour.

Hunter went over to the tree and picked up a small velvet box with a red ribbon with gold trims wrapped around it. He walked over to Colleen with the box in hand.

"Colleen," Hunter called.

"Yes 'untie Wuntie?" she asked, looking at the golden retriever.

"Ever since I've met you, I knew deep down that I was meant for you, and I can't think of my life without you. You're the best friend I ever had, and I want to be with you. Colleen…" Hunter got down on one knee and opened the box to reveal a ring. "My English rose…will you marry me?"

The family stopped their quarrel when they heard Hunter ask for Colleen's hand in marriage. Colleen looked down at Hunter with her hands over her mouth. It seemed like time had just slowed down to a crawl in the living room. No one made a sound.

"Say yes!" Lil' Ray Ray blurted out, breaking the silence.

"Oh 'untie," Colleen said with tears in her eyes.

"Please say no. Please say no," Blitz prayed as he closed his eyes and crossed his fingers; however, Ice Blaze heard him and popped Blitz upside his head. Blitz rubbed his head and glared at Ice Blaze who mouthed, "I've heard that."

"Yes, I will," Colleen replied, flinging her body at Hunter, which caught Hunter off guard.

The two collapsed onto the floor in a loving embrace. Exile and Shag were bawling their eyes out at the scene before them. Aunt Charlene handed each of them a tissue, which they gladly accepted and blew their noses. Everyone cheered and congratulated Hunter and Colleen, even Blitz who was slightly disappointed that he won't have chance to marry Colleen.


	8. Happy New Year

Chapter 8: Happy New Year

A few days passed, and it was now New Year's Eve. Everyone was dressed warmly as they were standing in the snowy field that is located next to Paramount Studios at night. A lot of guests were also in the same area as them. A cool breeze swept through the area, causing everyone to huddle close. Mama tried her best to cuddle close to Dylan, but she couldn't get close enough to him.

"How much longe' is it?" Lil' Ray Ray asked.

Melanie checked her watch. "It's 11:54, so it won't be long now."

"That's good," Blitz said as a cool breeze came by, causing him to shiver. "My tooshie is starting to get frostbitten."

"But it's a 30 minute show though," added Ice Blaze, which made the Doberman whine.

A few more minutes passed, and the lights throughout the Resort started to dim. A moment later, numerous lasers lit up the sky, forming a giant clock. A number ten was illuminated in the center of the clock. Everyone started to countdown with the laser clock.

"10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…HAPPY NEW YEAR!" everyone throughout the Resort cried out as the fireworks erupted.

Auld Lang Syne started to play throughout the Resort from numerous sound systems that were placed at different locations around the Resort, and the fireworks were synced to the music. Popular songs from the year 2008 were played throughout the laser light and fireworks show. As the fireworks were fired, everyone could feel the ground shake from all the explosions that were occurring throughout the Resort. After about thirty minutes, the show ended with a big finale that lit up the entire sky like day and could possibly be seen from the International Space Station.

"Wow! I've never seen a fireworks show like that before," Dylan said as everyone started to walk back to the Tower.

"Well, we always end the old year n' start the new year wit' a bang," Ice Blaze said.

"We hold two major fireworks show each year," Melanie said. "Thunder over the Resort n' the Year End Blast."

"We get a lot of guests durin' those times," added J. "Sometimes, these shows would actually be picked up by a seismograph."

"No kidding?" Hunter asked with a shocked look on his face.

"Nope," Melanie said.

"Even though I would like to get technical wit' all this, I'm ready to go to sleep," J yawned as he opened the door so that everyone could get in.

He closed the door behind him and locked it, and he followed everyone else toward the elevator. Once at the top of the Tower, everyone went their separate ways. After about thirty minutes, all the lights in the Tower were out, and everyone was sound asleep in their beds. In the rooftop porch, two figures were sitting on the couch with a large blanket covering them, watching the falling snow.

"Oh 'untie, this view is wonderful," Colleen said.

"But not as wonderful as you my English rose," Hunter said, nuzzling her.

They looked into each other's eyes lovingly and kissed. They broke for some air and huddled close together. Colleen placed her head on Hunter's left shoulder and closed her eyes. Hunter draped his left arm behind Colleen's neck and let his arm slip into an embrace. He then placed his head on top of hers and closed his eyes too. The newly engaged couple slowly drifted off to sleep. Even though there may have been some crazy moments during this holiday time, everything turned out for the better, and no one would never forget this Christmas, especially Hunter and Colleen.


End file.
